The Search For Rosemarie Mazur
by MadameRozaBelikova
Summary: Dimitri Belikov is a private investigator hired by the shady Abe Mazur to hunt down his long lost daughter. He heads to the States and goes undercover masquerading as a high school student.  Will he find her? What happens when he falls in love with her?
1. Chapter 1: The Case

Decription: Twenty-four year old Dimitri Belikov is a private investigator hired by the shady Abe Mazur to hunt down his long lost daughter. He heads to the States and goes undercover masquerading as a high school student. Will he find Abe's daughter? What happens when he inadvertently falls in love with the girl in question and doesn't even know it? What will happen when she finds out why he's really there? All Human. DimitriXRose

**Chapter 1: The Case**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Hello all! This story has been floating around in my head for a while now. I must preface this with the fact that I have never written an all human VA fanfiction. That being said I think I have made things interesting enough so that the supernatural elements will not be missed. Of course the characters will follow their typical behaviors and attitudes just without the magic. For certain purposes I have changed names and or made changes to miniscule things such as hair color and such. I hope those minor changes will not deter you from enjoying this story. Happy reading and I hope you will all let me know if you want to read more. As always this story is DimitriXRose=)**

DPOV

My name is Dimitri Belikov and I am a private detective. Over the past six years I have worked a number of cases, mostly undercover work in the Ukraine and Russia. My latest case is for a somewhat shady businessman named Ibrahim Mazur. Some would allude to the fact that he may be involved in organized crime. He approached me two years ago in my hometown of Baia, Russia while I was visiting my family between cases. He was from Istanbul and at first I was hard pressed to see a reason for him to need my services. He had a number of henchmen at his beck and call at any given time.

The nature of his case was one that tugged slightly at my heart. His wife, a woman named Janine Hathaway had fled the country eleven years ago taking their only child, a daughter named Rosemarie with her. He has another older child from his first marriage as well, a son. He'd contacted the authorities, but she'd covered all her bases and the police in Istanbul closed the case after two years. Since then he had hired numerous private detectives and had come up with absolutely nothing. I'd taken the case mainly because it paid extremely well, but also because I felt terrible for the man. He may be shady and somewhat of a mobster, but after spending time with him getting the facts and details of the case and seeing the photos of him and his daughter for the first five years of her life compelled me to believe that he was a loving father. He didn't deserve what his wife did to him and I was desperate to make sure he saw his daughter again.

Abe and Janine had married when she was twenty and she'd given birth to Rosemarie a little over a year later. According to her medical records and testimonies given by Mr. Mazur and many of the household staff and his associates as well as his son had confirmed that at age twenty two shortly after Rosemarie's birth, Janine had begun exhibiting symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. Later that year she had been diagnosed with said disorder and also bi-polar disorder. Both are said to hit woman in their early to mid twenties without warning. One day they are fine and the next their life is chaos. There had been a variety of incidents over the years and she'd been hospitalized when Rosemarie was three and was put on heavy medications. She seemed to be doing better while steadily taking her meds. Somewhere after that things had gone wrong and it was discovered after she left that she'd been tonguing her meds for a little over a month. I'm assuming that had something to do with why she left taking the girl with her.

Abe felt incredible guilt over what had happened admitting that he had ignored the signs that his wife had gone off her medications because when he confronted her it caused marital discord. He stated that it was right before the holidays and he didn't want to rock the boat since things had been going so well. I could tell that he had loved his wife very much and it killed him to make the choice to commit her the first time. He repeated over and over how he had failed his entire family. I truly felt bad for the man. The guilt was eating him alive making him look far older than his fourty-three years.

Abe's son was four years older than Rosemarie and over the years had been witness to many of Janine's mental breakdowns and the victim of some of her tantrums. After what had happened he had spent years in therapy and still suffered from anxiety and depression.

I looked at my case file that held his testimony from the day Janine and Rosemarie disappeared. It was shortly before Christmas and Abe was on business as usual. Janine had come home from wherever she'd been previously and told the children that they were going to a resort for the Christmas holiday and to go pack a bag. She'd thrown a few things of her own into a suitcase and phoned a cab. She'd taken Rosemarie by that hand and told the older child who at the time was almost ten that his father would be home later that evening to pick him up. She promised that she and his sister would meet them at the resort. He of course being a child believed her and went back to playing his videogames. When later asked if she seemed distraught or anxious, he said that she was, but that it was not unusual for her to act that way.

According to the son, night fell and his father did not return home. He called Abe's cell and was sent to voicemail. Of course he was upset at being left behind, but the nanny had finally gotten him to settle down by putting on a movie and giving him ice cream. I'd later heard testimony from the nanny that Janine had told her that she was taking Rosemarie on a surprise Christmas shopping spree and would be meeting them all at the resort in a few days. The nanny assumed the son had gotten things mixed up and assured him not to worry.

The next day around noon Abe called home asking for Janine. This is when the nanny was alerted that something was not right. Abe took the first flight home and the authorities were involved, but it was too late. They'd had a forty-eight hour head start and could have been anywhere by the time they were even reported missing. The cab driver had been tracked down and said that he'd dropped them off at a local shopping mall shortly after eleven in the morning. The mall's security tapes were subpoenaed, but when they were finally released to the police they were of such poor quality and filmed by such cheap equipment that one could not pick a single face out of the crowd, thus proving them useless.

It had been two years of research and dead ends, but I think I'd finally stumbled upon some useful information. I sighed and looked at my watch. I was aboard an airplane that would take me to the town of Portland, Oregon in the United States. I had come across some old news footage of a car accident involving a woman matching Janine Hathaway's description. The footage was from nearly ten years ago and the crash was fatal. I looked up old newspaper clippings and found an obituary that stated she was using the name Jocelyn James, there was no mention of surviving relatives.

I pulled a photograph out of my wallet. It was of Rosemarie at age five. She had dark brown wavy hair, large chocolate brown eyes and a perfect olive complexion. I didn't see much of her five foot two red haired, Scottish mother in her. I'd scanned the photograph into my computer and used the latest police technology to age her to age seventeen, which is what she would be now. It wasn't a huge help. It couldn't determine weight or exact height, but it was all I had to go off of.

The town Jocelyn James had died in was quite small. It was called Astoria and was quite close to Portland. There was only one high school, but the senior class was quite large having nearly four hundred students of which two-hundred and forty were female. I had taken the liberty of procuring a year book from the previous year and was disturbed to find that any one of eighty-seven girls matched Rosemarie's description.

I'd done background checks on all eighty-seven and ruled out all but thirteen. Two girls were in foster homes, one lived in a halfway house for teens, six lived with biological relatives that were not their mother or father, one was emancipated, and the other three were said to have been adopted. I had a case file detailing each girl and things about her home life, hobbies, school activities, and class schedule. The only things I had yet to obtain were adoption papers, birth certificates and medical records which were hard to find and even harder to hack into. I needed access to those things in order to determine blood type and if there was no birth certificate, then why?

My mission was simple or so Mazur said it would be. I was to infiltrate the school by masquerading as a student, which in itself was going to be difficult seeing is that I stood six feet seven inches tall, I was Russian and had just turned twenty-four. Hell, I had five o'clock shadow at ten in the morning. There was no way anyone was going to believe I was eighteen let alone American. I had a thick Russian accent and although my English was good, one would immediately know that I was a foreigner.

Abe had arranged for me to live with a family as a foreign exchange student so I would be less conspicuous. They were supposed to be meeting me at the airport. Their name was Dragomir. I'd also done research on them as well. The mother was Lila, she was a typical housewife. The father was Eric, he was a lawyer who had his own law firm ensuring that his family was extremely wealthy. There were two children. They were seventeen year old twins, one male and one female. I would be attending school with Andree and Vasilisa at Astoria Township High School. It was the end of August and I would be arriving three days before the start of a new school year giving me only a few days to scope out the lay of the land and get into a routine that would allow me to commit my mission of espionage.

That is primarily what was in my bags. I had brought only a few changes of clothing and little in the way of personal effects due to the fact that my equipment took up the majority of the room in my suitcases. Abe had given me enough money for living expenses so that whatever I needed I could buy at a later date. Once I'd become sure of a location he'd made damn sure I had all of the best equipment money could buy and believe me with him money was no object. I had all kinds of things such as high tech laptop computers, night vision goggles, devices that would decode alarm systems, small micro cameras that I could plant to observe the suspects and much more. Abe made sure I was placed with a well to do family so I would be ensured my own private space. I would need it if I didn't want to get caught. He also made sure that they had children who attended the school so I could use them as an outlet for information, but also as a cover for attending events outside of school. The girl would prove particularly useful. All teenage girls loved to gossip. I would be picking her brain first thing. She was bound to have the inside scoop on the girls in my files, especially with their unique circumstances. Fortunately for me, students with rough backgrounds were often the target of malicious actions and torment brought on by their peers.

I settled back in my seat as the flight attendant announced that we were beginning our descent into Portland. I didn't care much for the high school atmosphere the first time around, but at least then I was actually that age and had my sisters an my good friend Ivan to make things easier. This time it would be an entirely different game. I tried my hardest to research things the typical American teenager was into these days and came up with an array of utter shit. It seemed that they were mostly into gruesome and violent video games, IPhones and texting, hopping themselves up on caffeine and energy drinks, ripped up punky clothing, terrible rap music, a website called facebook and something along the lines of tweeting or twittering. Why couldn't they just drink and have sex like the rest of us did?

I had actually researched this whole facebook phenomenon because as it turns out you could find out a ton of information about these silly teenagers who blogged about every little insignificant detail of their lives which may seem like a waste of time to some, but to me it would be a goldmine. I'd already figured out how to set up an account with my high school persona. Now all I had to do was friend my new sister and brother and go from there. Being a P.I. nowadays was a hell of a lot easier than it had to have been twenty years ago. There was so much technology out there now that all one had to do was click a few buttons on a computer and people's lives were an open book, thus proving that with technological advancement came the stupidity of the human race. Putting your information and life story for all to see was probably one of the most dangerous and stupid things a person could do leaving yourself open to identity theft, pedophiles, rapists, murderers and who knows what else. Yet millions upon millions of people were lining up like cattle to be slaughtered.

"Idiots," I muttered as we pulled up to the gate. I grabbed my carry on and exited the aircraft in search of my new home for the next few months.

**So what did you think? Do you want to know more? Any speculation on why Janine stole Rosemarie and where she is now? Do you think she is still alive? Who wants a hot Russian spy to infiltrate their school? =) **


	2. Chapter 2: Meet the Ozeras

**Chapter 2: Meet The Ozeras**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**I am absolutely blown away at the response to my first chapter. This chapter isn't that exciting, but it will give you a good background on some stuff and people you need to know. Please keep the reviews coming. **

RPOV

"Rose, Christian where are you two? I told you if you wanted to borrow the car to go over to the Dragomir's you had to finish the laundry and so far all I see are piles of dirty clothes," mom called from downstairs.

"Ugh you didn't start the load yet? I thought you said that's what you were doing when you went down there an hour ago," I whined at my annoying brother. We were what you would call Irish twins, well that is if we were Irish, which we weren't. We were born less than a year apart so we were both in the same grade. I was born only ten months after Christian making me the younger of the two of us and he never let me forget that he was the oldest. Well technically not the oldest. Tasha was the oldest. She was twenty-one and away at college. She was our oldest sister. She looked just like Mom and Christian looked just like Dad. I never could figure out why I got the short end of the stick. Both Tasha and Christian along with my parents were very tall. I was only five-six. We all shared the same dark brown hair, but for some reason I had brown eyes and the rest of them had blue. Dad says it's because my features more closely resemble my grandmother on his side. Sometimes I swore I had to be adopted, maybe it was wishful thinking. I know Tasha sure wished I was. She did not like me and was always making fun of me and stealing my boyfriends. She was nice to Christian, but not by much. I think she wished she was an only child. It was a blessing that she was away at school these past few years.

As a family we were pretty close. Mom worked at the Astoria General Hospital as a nurse and Dad was the history teacher at our school, but during the summers he moonlighted in construction. We lived in a decent sized house, but it was nothing compared to Lissa's. Her family was beyond rich whereas most of our money went to pay Tasha's tuition and to pay off Christian's medical bills. He had some sort of anemia that made him really sick sometimes so we were barely getting by. Nevertheless, we weren't the perfect family, but we were pretty happy.

"Laundry is women's work," he snorted turning back to his game of Call of Duty.

I scowled at him. "You know I'm going to rip that gaming system out of the wall if you don't turn it off and help me."

"Whatever, do what you want Rosie." He knew it infuriated me to all hell when he called me that. I decided to be smart and switch tactics.

"You want to see Lissa right?" I asked in a sickeningly sweet tone. Lissa Dragomir was my best friend and Christian's girlfriend. The two were ooey gooey inseparable and it was nauseating most of the time.

His eyes lit up when I mentioned her though. "Yea I want to see her," he said.

"Good then get the laundry done. It's your turn," I said emptying his hamper full of clothes into his lap.

"Fine," he grunted finally tearing his eyes off of the television screen.

I usually wasn't this anxious to get over to see Lissa, but today was different. Her family was hosting a foreign exchange student from Russia and he was arriving today. A few of us girls were getting together at her house to catch a glimpse of him when he got there. He was supposed to get in around three so that left us a good two hours to gossip about him before he got there.

An hour later, the laundry was done and I had decided to borrow something of Christian's to wear because my wardrobe had become sparse as of late. I had hit a major growth spurt in the past six months, not height wise, but I had developed quite the womanly figure which was also unlike the rest of the women in my family. I had a petite frame, but my hips were very curvy and I was now sporting a thirty-four double D cup whereas my mother and sister could barely fill out a B. Due to the fact that we were hurting financially I couldn't exactly ask mom to buy me a ton of new clothes. I made do with what I had wearing some of Christian's hoodies and such that fit me better than a lot of my tops that had become too tight. I spent what little babysitting money I had on a few new bras and a pair of jeans. I was in desperate need of both.

I hurried down the stairs grabbing an apple off the counter as I passed mom. She was cleaning the kitchen. It was her day off and I felt bad that she spent it doing chores.

"Do you want some help?" I asked.

"No, no go and have a good time. Why are you wearing your brother's clothes again?" she asked looking me up and down. "Are you going through a gender identity crisis or something?" she asked her hands on her hips. That's what I loved about Mom she was always so blunt about things. She never beat around the bush.

I blushed. "No, I just like them that's all," I lied.

"No, she doesn't. She's finally blossomed into womanhood and none of her clothes fit," Christian snorted thoroughly embarrassing me in the process.

"Christian!" I shouted lunging at him.

"Woah, break it up," Dad said coming out of the den. He was dressed for work which meant he was working the three to eleven tonight.

"What is going on in here?" he asked as he restrained me from wrapping my hands around Christian's neck and squeezing. He knew I was stronger than my brother and I would inflict pain if given the opportunity.

"Well apparently our little Rose is becoming a woman and has developed breasts," my mother said with a smirk.

"Kill me now," I groaned.

"Wow, my little girl is all grown up," my dad crooned giving me a noogie.

"Dad please," I pleaded.

"Rose if you needed money for clothes you should have just said something," my mother said.

"Mark, give her some money. She's been wearing her brother's clothes for months now."

"No it's okay, I really don't mind. I don't want to take your money," I told them.

"Nonsense, it's a necessity and we aren't that poor," my mother scoffed.

My father pulled out some money from his wallet pressing about a hundred dollars into my hands.

"Thanks," I said guiltily.

"Don't ever feel like you can't ask for things you need. We will always take care of you." Somehow the way she said it gave me an eerie feeling.

"Have fun today kids. I'll see you all tomorrow," dad said kissing my mother and then me. He ruffled Christian's already mussed hair and went on his way.

"So my dad and Andree went to pick him up at the airport. His plane should be landing as we speak," Lissa disclosed while the rest of us listened eagerly.

Mia and Sydney sat cross legged on the floor, Jill was on the bean bag chair and I had draped myself across Lissa's bed and was now using her designer nail polish, a shade called candy apple red to paint my fingernails. I envied her large collection of cosmetics and took every opportunity to raid it.

"Geez, why is everyone so interested in this Russian guy? He's probably a spy or something," Christian muttered looking up briefly from the magazine he was reading while giving us a dirty look.

"Oh Rose a spy, wouldn't that be cool?" Mia gushed.

"Did you just suddenly forget about Eddie?" Jill asked.

"No, but who says I can't look?" All of my friends had steady boyfriend that is except for me. Lissa was with Christian, Jill was with Mason, Mia was with Eddie and Sydney was with Andree. I had my fair share of boyfriends, the last one being the biggest jerk of all time Jesse Zeklos. He'd pretended to be nice to me, took me out to nice places, paid me compliments and always picked up the check, but when he figured out after six months that I wasn't going to put out, he dumped me in front of the whole school publicly humiliating me in front of everyone. Now he was dating Natalie Dashkov, also known as the town whore. We all knew she was putting out.

"So we all have boyfriends except for Rose, so I say we try to hook them up. That would be just perfect," Lissa mused.

"Thanks for pointing out the fact that I'm the only loser without a boyfriend," I moaned.

"I could have pointed out that you're a loser." That comment earned him the yearbook I chucked at his pointy head.

"Hey!" he cried just barely dodging it. Lissa shot him a shut up now or I'll let her kill you look.

"What if he's ugly or has no manners or can't speak English?" Sydney asked always being the smart one.

"Oh he's far from ugly in fact he's brutally hot," Mia said jumping up to show us the picture she found of him on facebook.

"Yum, Dimitri Belikov," she said with a grin.

"He is rather built," Jill agreed.

"That guy is in high school?" I asked gaping at the brown haired Adonis that was staring back at me from the tiny screen on Mia's phone. With his shoulder length brown hair, warm brown eyes and dashing white smile, I'd have to say that I was definitely interested in meeting him.

"Who cares if he can't speak English. Who needs to talk with those muscles?" I said sighing dreamily. All the girls murmured their agreement.

"I heard that," Christian said coming up behind me to check out the picture.

"Uh uh no way in hell I'll let a guy like that date my little sister," he grunted.

"Who says you get a say and why are you so worried? From what you just said he wouldn't like me anyways because I'm such a loser and all," I said punching his shoulder and hard.

"Damn you punch like a guy," he groaned rubbing the spot I'd hit.

"Don't you forget it," I reminded him.

"So how are we going to get Dimitri and Rose together?" Lissa asked in a serious tone.

"Hold on a minute. You haven't even met this guy. He could be a total creep," Christian piped in.

"Good point, well assuming we get to know him a little and that he isn't a creep, then how should we get them together?"

"Well first thing is first. You are in desperate need of a makeover," Mia said. "Wearing your brother's clothes is just repugnant.

I sunk deeper into my sweatshirt. What was this pick on Rose day?

"Leave her alone," Christian came to my defense. "It's laundry day and I didn't do it on time so she had nothing to wear." That was the thing I loved the most about my brother. We fought a lot and teased, but deep down we always had each other's backs.

"Well still let's plan to go shopping tomorrow for all of us," Lissa said excitedly. I wasn't surprised. She loved shopping more than anyone I knew. Probably because she had a platinum card, but since I desperately needed new clothes I was the first to agree.

"So when do you think they'll be home?" I asked spritzing on some of Lissa's Chanel Chance perfume. At least I could make a nice smelling impression even if my clothes sucked.

**Okay I'm ready to hear your theories=) Tell me what you think of the Ozeras. **

**Also I wanted to recommend a story that I've been reading. It's a little different, but very good. It's called "Learning to Live and Love Again" by: JoJo110465 Check it out! **


	3. Chapter 3: The Dragomirs

**Chapter 3: The Dragomirs**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

**I apologize in advance for changing some things. I changed Lissa's mother's name, I also changed Jill's looks. It fits the story. I hope you don't mind. Your reviews have been really awesome. Keep them coming please.**

DPOV

I'd been in the United States less than two minutes and already I couldn't fathom why anyone would want to live here. People were pushy and rude and it was the epitome of commercialism with all the shops and restaurants and a Starbucks on every corner, even in the airport.

As I waited at the baggage claim, I took a few deep breaths trying to keep my mission in mind. Find Rosemarie Mazur. That was the goal. Abe would be checking in with me for weekly updates so there was little time to waste. As the dusty old conveyer belt croaked to life, I waited impatiently for my bag to come around. I grabbed it, made it through customs and walked out onto the street. It was late August and I was rethinking wearing my duster. It was a little too warm.

Just as I'd suspected there was a driver waiting for me. He was wearing a hat and standing in front of a black town car. He was holding up a white sign that said Belikov. I hoisted my bags off the ground and walked towards the car.

"I'm Dimitri Belikov," I said holding out my hand.

"Yes, Mr. Dragomir is expecting you. Please allow me," he said taking my bags, loading them into the trunk and opening the door for me. I slid into the back seat of the car and was greeted by two men, both with blonde hair and green eyes.

"It's good to meet you Dimitri. I am Eric Dragomir and this is my son Andree."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Sir, Andree," I greeted both of them with a handshake.

"It is very nice of you to allow me to stay here so I can pursue my studies."

"The pleasure is all ours. Both of my children have been taking Russian for years to learn the language of their ancestors. Unfortunately few people in this country actually speak Russian. It will be so nice for them to get some real life practice. That is one of the reasons we requested a student from Russia." I nodded trying not to show my concern that they spoke my native language. So much for being covert, I would really have to watch my conversations around them. That was something I thought I wouldn't have to worry about because he was right very few people here spoke Russian.

"School doesn't start for a few days so I thought Andree and Vasilisa could introduce you to some of their friends and maybe show you around a little."

"That sounds good to me," I told him. In fact it was a really good start. This way I could start cataloging the list of girls I needed to get to know. I wondered if any of them were friends with Vasilisa.

We pulled up in front of a massive three story brick mansion that had wrought iron gates and a fountain that had a circle driveway around it. The driver pulled right up to the front where there were two large white pillars surrounding a decadent stone staircase. The sides of the house were covered in ivy. There were statues interwoven amongst rose and peony bushes lining the walkways. It was breathtaking and unlike any house I'd ever seen before. When Abe said I'd be sure to have my own space, he wasn't kidding around. This place was huge.

"Andree can give you a tour of the house and grounds a bit later, but first I want you to meet my wife Lila and my daughter Vasilisa."

"Be warned, my sister has all her girlfriends over. They all want to check out our in her words 'hunky Russian'," Andree said rolling his eyes.

"Thanks for the warning." Most guys would be perturbed at the thought of a hoard of teenage girls mobbing them, but not me. I was too old to care about that and was actually eager to see if any of them were on my list.

As we entered we were greeted by a tall, slim blonde woman who looked to be in her early forties.

"Well hello there. You must be Dimitri. I'm Lila. How was your flight?" she asked smiling at me genuinely.

"It was very pleasant. Thank you for welcoming me into your home. It is quite lovely." My mother had always taught me to be polite.

"Why thank you. I just love to fiddle around with interior design," she gushed. "Let me just call down our daughter. She has some friends over and is probably preoccupied. She pressed a button on what looked to be an intercom.

"Lissa, our guest has arrived. Please come downstairs," she requested.

Not ten seconds later I was facing the inquisition. All together there were five girls and one sullen looking boy. I was disappointed that three out of the five girls were blonde haired, fair skinned with light eyes. I learned that one of them was Lissa, the girl with the child like face was Mia and the shy one's name was Sydney. The boy was Christian and I was sad to hear that he was introduced as the brother of the only one I thought had a good shot at being Abe's daughter.

"This is Christian and Rosalie Ozera, they're Irish twins," Lissa introduced me. Rose was a dead ringer for the girl I was looking for, but her name was not on my list for several reasons. One, she lived with biological parents and two she had siblings. She was very good looking though, I had to admit. I chastised myself for having dirty thoughts about a seventeen year old girl.

I was in luck in that the final girl introduced, Jill Mastrano was on my list. Her hair and eyes were dark, but not as dark as Rose's and her skin tone was slightly lighter than I thought it should be, but she was adopted and that was what put her on my list.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," I told them lacing my voice with a thick Russian accent as I kissed each of their hands. If there's one thing I knew it was that you catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar. I wanted these girls to like me. That way it wouldn't seem odd when I integrated into their social network and started pumping them for information. When I kissed Rose's hand it send a jolt through my entire body. I looked into her eyes to see if she felt it too. From the look of it, I think she did. The boy Christian was giving me a dirty look for where he stood with his hands clutched possessively around Lissa, as she called herself. I nodded at him as if to say I get it dude, she's off limits. I didn't need to make any enemies if I hoped to make this mission a success. My goal was to be out of here reuniting Mr. Mazur with his daughter before Christmas.

Before we even sat down to dinner I'd learned that all of the girls had boyfriends except for Rose, much to my dismay. Part of me was thrilled that she was available. The other part, the rational part screamed that I was twenty-four and she was seventeen and I couldn't allow myself to get distracted by her beauty, but damn every time I looked at her she smiled at me. I'd just have to do my best to avoid her if at all possible.

I soon learned that it would be impossible to avoid her as she was staying the night and according to Andree she stayed here more often than all the other girls combined. She was what he referred to as Lissa's BFF or best friend forever as Lissa called it. Just thinking about her sleeping in the same houseas herwas making my pants tight. What made it worse was the tour of the house.

Andree and Christian had taken me to the gardens, the stables, the tennis courts, the indoor heated pool, the cabana and pool house, the game room, the movie theater with stadium seating and reclining leather chairs that was in their basement. Those were just the highlights, I was told. The rooms were set up suite style. There were eight bedrooms total, four sets of two bedrooms connected by an adjoining bathroom. Eric and Lila were in the largest of the four in the west corner of the house. Lissa's suite was on the East side of the house. Andree's was on the North and I would be getting the South. Of course the South wing had to be close to the West wing where Rose was staying with Lissa. I tossed my duffel on the bed and when I was sure I was alone opened up my suitcases and began unpacking my equipment.

All of Lissa's friends left before dinner except for Rose and Christian.

"So Dimitri tell us about your hometown and your family," Lila asked. The meal was meatloaf with mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and dinner rolls. It was pretty good for American cuisine. Nothing compared to my Mama's cooking, but it would do.

"Well I have two older sisters and one younger. My grandmother lives with us and my mother."

"Do you have a lot of friends at school?" she asked.

I took a deep breath before responding. "Just one or two guys," I replied, thinking of Ivan, my best friend from high school. He died last year in a car accident. I still wasn't over it and I didn't like to think about it.

"Do you play any sports? You're so tall," Lissa asked.

"I run track and cross country and I like to lift weights. I like to fence and I know martial arts."

"Wow, that's a whole lot of physical activity," Lissa said winking at Rose. I could only stifle a laugh at Lissa encouraging her best friend to pursue a perfect stranger. I guess teenage girls were the same in any country. They reminded me a lot of my sister Viktoria. They were around her age after all, I reminded myself.

"You know Rose is on the cross country team and the track team at Astoria. She's pretty good," Lissa said earning an elbow to the side from Rose.

"Yes, you could show him where to sign up," Lila added.

"Sure," Rose answered. That wasn't the only thing I wanted her to show me.

When dinner was over Rose offered to help clear the table as did I while the Dragomir children went off to do whatever it is they did in this big house.

"So how was your first day in America?" Rose asked as she washed and handed the dishes over for me to dry.

"Very welcoming," I told her.

"So did you get your class schedule yet?" she asked trying to make small talk I guess. It was kind of adorable and I had to keep reminding myself that she was seventeen and off limits.

"Uh yea, it's right here," I told her pulling it out of my pocket. She held out her hand.

"Well I hope you like assholes," she said with a grin. I raised my eyebrow at her.

"You have Mr. Alto for English and homeroom," she laughed.

"And that is bad?" I questioned.

"Yea, like I said he's a real asshole," she said with a grimace.

"Why are you taking advanced calculus?" she asked wrinkling her nose.

I wanted to tell her because I'd gotten an A in advanced calculus in community college, but I couldn't blow my cover so I improvised.

"Russia is ahead of the U.S. in math."

"Oh," was all she said. I took it she wasn't a fan of math.

"Hey you have my dad for American History," she said smiling as she spoke of her father.

"He's a teacher at your school?" I asked.

She nodded. "One of the best," she stated proudly.

"How about Ms. Petrov?" I asked looking at the name of my gym teacher. There was also a Mr. Tanner listed.

"Petrov is cool so is Tanner. My dad barbeques with them in the summers and stuff.

Just watch out for Principal Kirova, she can be a real bitch."

"You certainly enjoy your expletives don't you?" I asked frowning. I wasn't a fan of profanity.

"Oh sorry, don't you ever swear in Russian?" she asked curiously.

"I guess I do sometimes," I admitted. Her eyes lit up.

"No I won't teach you any," I said with a laugh.

"Wow it's like you read my mind Comrade,"she said in awe.

"Comrade?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I saw the duster you were wearing earlier."

"I see," I responded as she handed me the last dish and drained the water from the sink.

"Don't they have a dishwasher?" I asked wondering why we'd just completed the task by hand. Surely a house as fancy as this one had one.

"Sure, but we don't at my house and it's just routine for me," she said like it was no big deal. I assumed that since her father was a teacher and she didn't have a dishwasher that her family did not enjoy the same luxuries as the Dragomirs.

"Do you live on this side of town?" I asked.

She snorted. "Nope, we live on the other side of the tracks if you know what I mean."

"There's nothing wrong with that," I told her.

"My family lives in a small town in a small house. My sister's Sonya and Viktoria share a room and my mother and grandmother share one as well. Karolina my oldest sister shares with her son Paul. We don't have much, but we are happy."

"Same here, most of my family's money goes towards college tuition for my older sister Tasha or for Christian's medical expenses. He has a condition," she explained.

"That's why I'm wearing his clothes," she said looking down at her old sweatshirt that must belong to her brother.

"Hmm," I mused looking her up and down. " Nope not as bad as wearing your older sister's hand me downs," I told her crossing my arms.

"No way!" she exclaimed. I nodded grimacing as I thought back on some of the hideous pink and purple shirts I was forced to wear as a small child.

"That's just mean," she gasped.

"Eh it was a long time ago," I shrugged. If only she knew just how long it had been since I'd been a child.

"Well I better get upstairs before Lissa and my brother start getting it on. If I don't tell him to scram that's what will happen and I'll be sleeping with earplugs again," she groaned.

"I'm surprised her parents would tolerate that under their roof," I mused.

"Big house," she said.

"Ah, I see. Well good night Rose," I called.

"Good night Comrade," she said before rushing up the stairs.

Operation stay away from Rose was not going well. I'd already spent more time with her than I should have and told her things I shouldn't have. I couldn't help it though. Being around her gave me a warm happy feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time. I went up to my room to go over some case files. So far I'd been here eight hours and hadn't learned anything prudent to the case. I needed to get serious about this, but I also have to play the part of a hormonal teenage boy. Hmmm this could work to my advantage. I could feign interest in the girl I was investigating to get information and then end it. I would earn quite the reputation as a player, but girls liked that. I would get close, but not too close.

I showered, changed into a pair of sleep pants and climbed between the sheets. The bed felt like it was a cloud and I was floating on air. I could only imagine what something like that would cost. After several hours of tossing and turning despite the comfort of the bed, I decided what I needed was a glass of warm milk so I headed down to the kitchen not bothering to put on a shirt. It was after one and everyone would be asleep or so I thought.

**Okay so they've met and there's an attraction. What do you think so far? What do you think of the Dragomirs? What will Rose think of his plan to seduce all the girls at school? Do you see any complications along the way? Please Review. I update fast when people show me they want to read=) Also if you're reading The Next Nine Months expect an update very soon.**


	4. Chapter 4: Midnight Snack

**Chapter 4: Midnight Snack**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Wow still amazed at your reviews. Keep them coming and I will be tempted to post everyday=)**

RPOV

When I got a look at the Russian I could tell right away that his facebook photo had not done him justice. I could see Mia fanning herself with her magazine as he greeted us with his thick sexy Russian accent. Ugh, I could just melt right now. When he touched my hand bringing it to his lips kissing it softly I could have sworn he held it a few seconds longer than the others. I felt all tingly where he had touched me as well.

Lissa kept shooting me looks at dinner wanting me to strike up a conversation and flirt with him, but I thought that would be a little obvious in front of her parents and my brother. I was not surprised to hear him say that he worked out or that he took martial arts, but being a runner, that was my thing. It was a great thing to have in common too. The girls and boys cross country and track teams practiced together so I would get plenty of time to hang out with him after school or on meet days.

He really was a gentleman and if I wasn't mistaken acted quite a bit older than he actually was. I usually offered to do up the dishes in gratitude for the many meals Christian and I had mooched off the Dragomir's over the years. I was shocked when he offered to assist me and I couldn't help the way my heart was pounding the entire time I was talking to him.

It was luck that we had two classes together and lunch. We had first period English with the bane of my existence Stan Alto and we also had gym with Petrov and Tanner right after lunch. He had my dad for History, but I wasn't allowed to because he was my dad so I had Miss Ivashkov. She could be good or bad depending on the way one looked at things. She was usually nice to me since she worked with my dad, but she could be a real bitch if you rubbed her the wrong way. Mia learned that one the hard way when she and Eddie were caught making out in Miss Ivashkov's empty classroom before school. Ever since she'd screamed at them, called their parents and given them each a week of detention Mia had named her Queen Tatiana the bitch. Mia had also said that she was just a mean old biddy who needed to get laid. I found it hysterical, but Lissa thought it was a little mean.

Usually I looked forward to a new school year. I didn't like classes, but I loved seeing my friends all the time. This year though there was one person in particular that I absolutely dreaded seeing again and that was Jesse Zeklos. He had really humiliated me last year and every time he passed me in the hallway after that day he made some sort of snide remark even going so far as to tape a sign to my locker that said don't mess with the flying nun. By the end of the year he had everyone calling me Sister Mary Rose. I could have died of embarrassment.

"Don't worry about him, he's a loser and everyone has totally forgotten about all that stuff. It's so last year's news," Lissa said after we'd all but kicked Christian out the door. I hadn't planned on staying over, but Lissa wanted to get an early start tomorrow. She said she had a lot of things planned for us to show Dimitri around.

"Liss, two problems," I told her while I was brushing my teeth. I stayed there so much I had my own toothbrush.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't have anything to sleep in." She tossed me a pink bag. I pulled out a Victoria's Secret sleep shirt. It was my size.

"Lissa?" I asked suspiciously.

"It was on sale and I knew you'd sleep over here and forget your nightgown at some point," she said.

"Just put it on."

"Okay," I agreed. It really was cute and so my style. It was black with hot pink letters that said Super Model on it.

"What's the other problem?" she asked popping out her contacts.

"Nothing to wear tomorrow," I said.

"Don't tell me you have another bag under there," I groaned as she reached under her bed a second time.

"It's for emergencies," she huffed tossing the bag at me.

I pulled out a white halter dress with silver flip flops. Both were in my size. I glared at her.

"What? I am prepared for anything," she exclaimed dramatically. Lissa wanted to be an actress and was always doing scenes from old black and white movies.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" I asked yawning.

"First a tour of the bay on Daddy's boat, then lunch at Dinolfo's and then shopping on the boardwalk in Portland."

"Who all is coming?"

"The whole gang. My mom wants Andree and I to introduce Dimitri to everyone before school starts."

She clicked off the lights and we climbed into her bed. There was a guest bedroom attached to her room on the other side, but for some reason I'd never used it. When there were more of us we did. Mia and Sydney usually stayed in there while I slept with Lissa and Jill took the sofa.

I lay awake several hours later listening to Lissa snore. It wasn't her snoring keeping me awake though it was thought of a certain Russian that was sleeping not a hundred feet down the hall. After attempting to read, checking my e-mail and watching some infomercial about some pasta cooker that I now wanted for some stupid reason, I decided to go downstairs and raid the fridge. I'd seen Lissa's mom baking a rather large chocolate cake the other day and was jonesing to find out if there was any left. One thing about me was that I had a major sweet tooth. Mom taught me to bake all sorts of cookies and stuff, but she'd been pulling extra shifts lately and we hadn't had much time for that stuff.

I put on Lissa's fuzzy pink bunny slippers and skipped down the stairs humming Poker Face to myself as I skidded into the kitchen. I was definitely not prepared to see a half naked Russian sitting at the counter already eating my piece of chocolate cake. His eyes flittered from my face to my short, tight fitting nightshirt down to my fuzzy pink bunny slippers. If I wasn't mistaken there was a flash of lust that crossed his face that turned into amusement at the sight of my feet.

"Nice slippers," he commented.

"Hey ceramic floors are cold and they're Lissa's," I countered.

"Dually noted. I see this isn't your first late night snack run in this house then," he noted.

"Nope I'm a regular at this pub and right now you're sitting on my stool eating my chocolate cake," I pouted.

"Hmm the way I see it is that I was here first so it is my stool and my cake," he said taking another large bite teasing me mercilessly.

"Don't look so put out, I'm willing to share. It is a rather large piece of cake," he said patting the seat next to him.

He pulled a second fork out of the drawer handing it to me.

"Thanks," I said.

"So what is keeping you up at this late hour?" he asked.

"Princess Dragomir snores like a pig," I said. It was true, but not the reason I was awake. I so did not wanting to admit that I was having sexy thoughts about him and they were making me all hot and bothered.

"You?"

"Jetlag, it is daytime where I am from," he answered. Makes sense right?

"So tell me about the people I'm meeting tomorrow," he asked.

"Well you already met Mia, Sydney and Jill. Tomorrow you'll meet the guys Eddie and Mason."

"So everyone is paired up?" he asked.

"Yeap it's like freaking Noah's ark around here," I moaned.

"So where's your other half then?"

"He was a jerk. Let's leave it at that."

"What about you? Do you have a girlfriend back home?"

He hesitated before admitting that he didn't. Score one for Rose. Inside I was doing the Snoopy happy dance.

"So you and Lissa are close?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yup ever since the first grade when I called our teacher a fascist bastard for making us spell out our full names."

He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Hey you try asking a six year old to spell Vasilisa Dragomir or Rosalie Ozera. It isn't easy."

"I believe you," he said putting up his hands in surrender.

"What about the rest. When did you all meet?"

"Hmm well Mia and Lissa were friends since birth so I met Mia through Lissa in kindergarden. Sydney moved here with her crazy religious nut parents in fifth grade from Chicago and Jill we met in Junior High. I don't really know where she's from. She doesn't talk much about it. She's adopted and her parents are a little weird.

"So she hasn't lived her here whole life?"

"No, she mentioned moving around a lot. It could be because her adoptive father is in the army."

He certainly was nosy. He almost looked like he was memorizing my answers. I shook my head. All that talk earlier about him being a Russian spy was getting to me. I made a mental note to kick Christian in the shin later for putting that in my head.

"Well I should get back to bed before Lissa notices I'm MIA."

"MIA? He asked quizzically. "Missing in action," I explained stifling a laugh.

"Hey don't poke fun at the foreigner," he said smiling. He had a smile that made me want to melt like butter.

"See you in the morning. Be warned that Lissa will be waking everyone up at the crack of dawn. She needs the entire day to abuse her credit cards."

"I see and you signed up for this trip why?"

"Oh you don't sign up you're recruited and you Mr. Belikov are the newest recruit."

"Anyways I do actually need to go shopping tomorrow. I had a little growth spurt over the summer and am in desperate need of some stuff for school or I'll be borrowing from my brother all year."

"From what I saw earlier it looked good on you." He winked before washing up our cake dish and heading up the stairs. Holy hell kill me now, I thought biting my fist as I scurried up the stairs. If I thought I was having trouble sleeping before, that was nothing compared to how I'd be staying awake now that I'd seen him shirtless.

**I know this was short, but wanted to give you an update today because I thought you deserved it=) Mmmm a sexy, half naked Russian and chocolate cake. That sounds like my kind of party! Leave me some love.**


	5. Chapter 5: Ahoy Mateys

**Chapter 5: Ahoy Mateys**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

**Thanks to TeamBelikovGasp for helping me with the logistics of this trip to Portland. I had a few things wrong and was grateful for the help. I know everything did not turn out perfect, but I think it's believable for a fluke warm sunny August afternoon. Enjoy=)**

DPOV

I slipped back under the covers an hour after returning upstairs. It was nearly daylight and I couldn't get the image of her in that nightgown out of my head, but I had to catalog the information Rose had given me into my computer. I also logged onto that dread social networking site facebook and friend requested, Lissa, Andree, Mia, Christian, Jill and Sydney. Surprisingly, I couldn't find one for Rose. I shrugged it off. She had probably signed up for it under some goofy name. I'd find her tomorrow.

True to what Rose had said there was a loud rapping on my bedroom door around six in the morning. I had barely gotten two hours sleep so I was not in a great mood, but I would fake it like any good PI.

I slipped on a shirt before answering the door. Much to my surprise and sick delight it was Rose and the door instead of Lissa like I'd expected.

"Hey Comrade,you ready for breakfast? It's like a huge buffet down there. I sure hope you like to eat," she said with a smirk. She was still in her nightgown and slippers. Her long locks were mussed and her eyes were sleepy, but damn was she adorable.

She was right about breakfast being a buffet. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, hot cakes, French toast, pop-overs, bagels, scones, muffins, an assortment of pastries, all sorts of juices, coffee, hot tea, milk. You name it they had it.

"What time did your mother get up to make all this?" I asked Andree. He laughed a little.

"Mom doesn't make breakfast, we have a housekeeper, Lucy, she makes the best food. Mom can do meat loaf and stuff like last night, but she's not so good at the rest."

"I see,"I responded helping myself to some eggs and a muffin. Must be nice to have hired help. I thought about my own mother raising four children by herself, working and still finding time to put a decent meal on the table. It was times like this when I missed home the most.

"You have got to try one of these," Rose said plopping down next to me adding a croissant looking pastry to my plate. Her plate was piled high with nearly one of everything on the table.

"You're going to eat all of that?" I asked incredulously.

"Don't be too surprised if she has seconds," Eric said kissing the top of Lissa's head and then Rose's.

"She's our good little eater, not like Lissa, who is terribly finicky," Lila added bringing out a tray of fresh fruit. I took a banana off the tray as she offered it to me thinking silently that the food on this table could feed my family of seven in Baia for a week. I was definitely impressed that Rose did in fact polish off her entire plate and have seconds.

"So first we're going to take Daddy's boat around Seaside, then we'll head to Portland and hit Dinolfo's for a late lunch and spend the rest of the day in the shops," Lissa explained an hour later when everyone else had arrived and we'd all had the chance to shower and change. I was introduced to an Edwin Castile and a Mason Ashford who both seemed to be pretty nice guys. The same driver that had picked me up at the airport stood in front of the town car waiting for us and a second driver behind him. There were too many of us to fit in one car.

It seems that everyone was paired up so when we boarded the boat the only empty seat was next to Rose. My twenty-four year old, self preserving side told me to stand on the other side of the boat as far away from her as possible, but my eighteen year old horny teenage self had decided to rear its ugly head and led me straight to that seat.

"Well fancy meeting you here since we are probably the only two unattached people on the planet," she remarked sarcastically. If there was one thing to be said for her, she certainly had a wry sense of humor. I liked that she didn't take it too personally that her friends were all sitting next to their significant others. Some girls would sit around pouting and feeling sorry for themselves and others would just avoid the social interaction all together, but not Rose. She was snarky and it didn't seem to bother her too much that she was on the sidelines. It showed a strong sense of self worth on her part and that was sexy as hell. As much as it was difficult to sit next to her it did give me the perfect opportunity to grill her about her facebook page.

"So I was surfing the internet last night and I couldn't find you on facebook," I told her.

She laughed. "You don't waste any time do you?"

"So you don't have one?" I pried.

She gave me a funny look. "I'm seventeen, of course I have one," she scoffed. "You won't find me though."

"Why is that?" I was a ninja, I could find anyone, but she didn't know that.

"Well my parents are really strict when it comes to sharing information online. They're paranoid about pedophiles and identity theft and child molesters, and rapists, the list goes on for miles. I have intense privacy settings. You can only see me if I friend you," she explained. That actually made a lot of sense. At least some parents weren't completely inept and cared about their children's well being.

"But I found your brother," I said confused.

"He's a boy, rules are different, the usual double standard," she growled rolling her eyes.

"My mother is the same way. I've always had a lot more freedom than my sisters. It never really bothered Sonya or Karolina, but my sister Viktoria complains to no end." I smiled remembering all the fuss she'd put up when she's been slapped with a ten o'clock curfew whining how I'd never been given a curfew. When you're six foot seven no one really messes with you.

"So the question of the day," I told her as the boat pulled away from the dock causing her waist length gorgeous hair to blow in my face. My God did she smell delightful.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Will Rosalie Ozera friend me on facebook?" I asked trying my hardest to sound carefree about it instead of desperate which I was for two reasons. One because I needed to get to know all of the possible candidates and Rose would be a great way to get to them, she was really friendly and outgoing. She probably had a thousand friends. Two, I was dying to know everything about her. She intrigued me. I'd known her less than twenty-four hours and already I felt like I'd known her for years. Things were just comfortable. If she was my age, I could really see myself falling for her. Sadly, she was seventeen, not even legal and I wouldn't be here long enough to fall for her or so I'd hoped.

"Well aren't you the confidant one? You'll just have to wait and see Comrade," she grinned before letting out a squeal as the speed boat hit a wave. Unconsciously, she grabbed onto my arm giggling as the ride became bumpier. Oh yes staying away from her was going to be pure torture, I thought as I felt a warm tingling sensation settle in the place where she had touched me.

After a few hours on the watching the rest of the couples make out like the horny teenagers they were, I was thrilled when the boat docked back in the bay. Talking to Rose all morning and dangling our feet into the water while drinking lemonade was definitely not the worst way to spend an afternoon, but not being able to touch her beautiful face or kiss her sexy lips was excruciatingly painful. I was definitely going to have to find a way to relieve the sexual tension she was causing me.

"I'm starved. You do have reservations don't you Liss?" Rose asked impatiently. We had spent the past hour and a half in the car and she was a little restless as we stepped out onto the sunny sidewalk. It was rare to have a nice day in this town, but the sun Gods had smiled on us today. I couldn't help but admire her tanned physique against to the white sundress she was wearing.

"Yep for two o'clock which is in ten minutes so we'd better book it," Lissa responded.

"Geez Rose, I could hear your stomach growling all the way over here," Christian teased his sister earning him a dirty look. How she could possibly be hungry after the massive amount of food she'd consumed at breakfast was beyond me, but as we sat down I realized she was a bottomless pit. She ordered some sort of seafood pasta that came with a salad and a huge chunk of greasy garlic bread and then swiped a few bites of my steak which I gladly handed over for fear of losing my hand if I got in her way.

"Hey Liss, you gonna finish that salmon?" Rose inquired eying Lissa's half eaten plate of food.

"Nope, it's all yours," she said handing it over. My eyes bugged out of my head as she finished that too. Didn't they feed her at home?

"How are you so thin?" I asked while we were studying the dessert menu. She shrugged.

"Just lucky I guess."

"Lucky my ass, she runs ten miles a day and lifts weights like a mad woman," Mia announced.

I raised my eyebrow. "That's why you're so hungry. You burn off more than you eat," I laughed. I was glad to see that she was athletic and quite active. So many teenagers in America and around the globe today were obese from sitting around inside watching television or playing video games. Two things that I liked to do, but not all day and all night. I much preferred being outdoors if possible and staying active definitely helped in my line of work.

"I'll have the Tirimisu," Rose decided handing her menu to the waiter. I'd never had whatever this Tirimisu thing was, but I wanted to try it. I didn't usually eat dessert and that chocolate cake last night came to mind, but screw it, I had to blend in so as they say when in Rome.

"I'll have the same," I told the lady.

"You won't regret it Comrade. It's to die for." She was right. I'd never tasted anything quite like it before and I enjoyed it. Lissa paid the bill while the rest of us headed outside.

"Shouldn't we offer to pay for our own meals?" I asked. Rose shook her head. First, Lissa would never let you. Second, this day is supposed to be for you," she reminded me. For the first time since arriving here, I felt guilty about deceiving the people who had been so kind as to take me into their home and befriend me. I just had to keep reminding myself that it was for a good cause. Abe Mazur deserved to know what happened to his daughter. I only hoped that what I'd find out was good news.

After what I deemed ten hours of shopping at Washington Square Mall, we finally made it back to the Dragomir's a little after eleven. I ended up carrying at least ten bags that were not my own. Lissa had wiped out the stores. I couldn't believe there was anything left to buy. I had invested in a new pair of running shoes, some basketball shorts and a water bottle and I thought that was a splurge. Rose had come out with two bags from a store called XXI Forever. Most of the girls went in there and each came out with several bags. The one thing that surprised me was that Lissa did not buy anything at that store. It puzzled me because it looked like teenage girl heaven from the outside. My sisters would die to come to a store like this one. When I'd questioned Rose about it in the car on the way home, she'd said that Lissa didn't shop at discount stores."In other words," she'd said. "XXI Forever is too cheap. Lissa wouldn't be caught dead in a shirt that only cost eight dollars." That definitely explained it.

The only other store Rose bought anything at was what looked to be a store that sold things for girls who lived in a brothel. It was hot pink and black and had models wearing foofy undergarments with see through everything and fishnet stockings. I had to admit that I was a little nosy and I peeked in her bag while she wasn't looking and was relieved to see that she had bought regular cotton panties and a brassiere of sorts. They were both black and that was way more than I needed to know. I didn't think she was one of those skany girls, but one could never be too sure.

Even though Rose had only left the mall with three bags, when she and Christian loaded the car to go home her number of bags had tripled.

"Liss, I told you not to buy me anything," she scolded her friend.

"Come on Rose, school is starting and you've got to show Jesse just what he missed out on all summer," she said with a wink. I assumed Jesse was her douche bag ex-boyfriend. I was definitely interesting in meeting him. I had a strong urge to punch his face in even though I didn't have the slightest clue as to why they'd ended their relationship. The thought of anyone hurting Rose made me terribly angry. I settled in for the night and thankfully Rose and Christian went home after shopping. I couldn't afford to be distracted again tonight. I had a lot of studying to do if I wanted to be ready tomorrow. I needed to form a game plan and if I was going to maximize my productivity, I'd have to do a little recon.

**Aww what a cute couple they would make. Why is he fighting it so hard? Please review. Next up the first day of school and operation seduce the girls on his list is going to be set in motion. Hehe! **


	6. Chapter 6: First Day of School

**Chapter 6: First Day of School**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. All characters and personalities are the property of the genius that is Richelle Mead. **

**Wow I've had numerous requests from reviewers to Age Rose by making it her birthday so they can be together. LOL I want it too, believe me, but all in good time. Rose's birthday is at the end of March as we all know, but when is Rosemarie Mazur's Birthday? They're probably not the same day right? She could turn eighteen tomorrow and not even know it!**

DPOV

The first day of school came and before I knew it I was riding shot gun in Andree's sleek black corvette. Lissa had left ten minutes ago peeling out of the driveway in her silver BMW convertible to pick up Rose and Christian. We would be getting Sydney on the way. Was it wrong for me to wish I was riding with Lissa so I could see Rose before school started? I hadn't seen her since we went to Portland and as I was getting ready for school this morning I was actually wondering if she'd like my choice in clothing. I was such a douche.

I tried to do research on what the typical high school student wears and found that jeans and a t-shirt would suffice. I left my duster at home due to the heat and the fact that it would be very conspicuous. We picked up Sydney and I was itching to get to school. I'd spent all of last night making charts of when and where I would encounter the thirteen girls on my list. I had classes with some of them, but others I would have to stalk at lunch. Yes that was what I was becoming a stalker. Oh how I wished Rose was on my list. At least then I'd have a reason to get close to her. Fortunately for her and unfortunately for me, she came from what I would call a typical happy nuclear family. Mom, Dad and three kids with a white picket fence. All that was missing was the dog.

The first place we headed was the cafeteria. Apparently it was the best before school hang out and according to Rose, the cookies were to die for. We soon joined the rest of the crowd at a table. Rose was already there laughing at something Mia said there were two chocolate chip cookies in front of her. She looked up as we joined them.

"Hey Comrade, heads up!" she called tossing one of the cookies at me. I caught it deftly with one hand. She winked at me and went back to talking with her friends. We all stood around chatting until the first warning bell rang. We were supposed to report to homeroom where we would get our locker assignments.

"Good luck with Alto, the asshole," Rose snorted referring to my homeroom and English teacher. He couldn't possibly be as bad as she said he was. Girls had the tendency to over exagerate. As it turns out Mason was in my homeroom and kindly offered to show me the way. We entered the room and I dropped my backpack next to an empty desk pulling out my notebook. I kept meticulous notes in Russian on each girl and since it was homeroom, I would be looking to get to know Liz Baker and Mariah Kasprzak. Liz lived with her 'aunt' and Mariah was a foster kid.

After several minutes the second bell rang signaling that all students should be in class. A man in his late thirties I would guess wearing glasses and a blue button down shirt with a plaid tie.

"For those of you who are new this year my name is Mr. Alto. For those of you returning as seniors welcome back. I will call roll and assign your lockers. Please raise your hand letting me know you are present and then proceed to your locker to put away your belongings. No one will be permitted to switch lockers and or share with another student. He didn't seem any different than any other teacher I'd ever had so far. Although his choice in wardrobe was a little puzzling.

"Elizabeth Baker," he called and I watched as the girl I already knew from her photo raised her hand. She was around five foot two with short brown hair.

"Dimitri Belikov," he called and I raised my hand. "Well they do grow them taller in Russia," he mumbled as I stood next to him. He handed me a combination lock and assigned me to locker two hundred and seventy-three which was right next to Liz Baker's. I fumbled with my lock for a little while until I caught her staring at me.

"Need a little help?" she asked.

"Yes, I must look like a fool," I said doing my best to look sheepish.

"You're not from around here are you?" she asked.

"No, I am an exchange student from Russia. I'm staying with the Dragomir's."

"Oh, they're nice and rich," she muttered.

"Here you do it like this," she took the lock in her hands and began spinning the dial.

"The trick is to skip past the second number and come back around," she said.

"They like to make it tricky."

"Thank you. I'm Dimitri," I introduced myself.

"Liz," she responded and if I wasn't mistaken she blushed as I gave her a dazzling smile.

The bell rang signaling the end of homeroom.

"Well I better go. I have Miss Ivashkov first period and she doesn't like it when we're late," Liz said grabbing a notebook and a pen from her locker and slamming it shut.

I had Alto again this period so I grabbed my stuff and headed back into the room.

"Mr. Belikov can I speak with you a moment?" Mr. Alto asked pulling me aside.

"Yes, sir," I replied accompanying him to his desk.

"I don't know what your English skills are like or what types of literature you're familiar with, but I wanted to let you know that I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're foreign," he said. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to say something like that.

"I understand sir. Thank you for your consideration," I told him walking back to my desk. I sat one row from the back so I could observe the entire room at one time. I felt a pencil poke me in the back.

"Hey Comrade, what did Alto want?" I turned around to see that Rose had taken the seat behind me.

I smiled at her. "You were right, he is an asshole," I told her. She laughed and I couldn't help but to reach out and tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. Her breath caught in her throat and our eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. When I finally broke our gaze, I noticed that he room had become eerily quiet all the sudden.  
>"Well well if it isn't Rosalie Ozera making trouble on the first day of school? Do yourself a favor Mr. Belikov and learn to socialize with a better crowd of people," he said his voice dripping with distain as he shot a dirty look at Rose. She didn't seem surprised at his words, but I certainly was. Who the hell was he to talk about her that way?<p>

The class was boring and as it turned out I'd already studied three of the five works we were going to be covering this year so English would be a breeze. I tried to stay focused on the task at hand. Jill was in this class along with another girl named Meredith. I checked my notebook and located Meredith. She sat near the front on the right side of the room. I would do my best to try and speak with her when the bell rang.

Halfway through the period I felt another poke on my back and then Rose inconspicuously dropped a folded piece of paper on the desk.

**What type of person would wear that vest with that tie? **I snickered a little as I read her sloppy handwriting in bright pink pen.

I quickly scribbled down a response and dropped the paper back onto her desk. I could hear her snort she was laughing so hard earning us both a glare from the dictator at the front of the room.

"Mr. Belikov can you tell us something about Alfred Lord Tennyson?" He looked at me smugly with his arms crossed. Oh he was so going to regret asking me that. I knew he thought I was inept and wouldn't know anything, but I was about to blow him out of the water. Rose would surely enjoy the show I was about to put on.

"He was a nineteenth century English poet who was known best for penning the lyrics to 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' and is credited for the famous quote "Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all. He was born in Lincolnshire, was one of twelve children and attended Cambridge. He was eighty-three years old when he died in eighteen ninety-two. "

I saw his jaw drop to the ground as I recalled information from my Brittish lit class in college.

"Anything else you want to know Mr. Alto?" I asked with a smirk. That will teach him to mess with me or with Rose.

"Not at the moment," his voice was controlled, but I could see the steam pouring out of his ears.

"That was epic Comrade!" Rose said slapping me on the back as the bell rang. I had to agree with her on that one. I hurried across the room, strategically placing myself so that I would have a head on collision with Meredith. As planned we collided and all of her books went sprawling onto the floor.

"I am so sorry. Let me get those for you," I said apologizing as I bent down to grab her books. Unfortunately she bent down at the same time and we bumped heads.

"Ouch," she groaned rubbing her forehead.

"Sorry, I guess I am a little clumsy today. I'm Dimitri, the exchange student from Russia. I held out my hand to help her up. She took it and I pulled her to her feet.

"Meredith," she said shyly as I handed her back her books.

"It was nice to meet you," she said before scurrying off to her next class.

Rose was waiting for me as I exited the room. "Walk much? You ran right into her. I never pegged you for a clutz."

I shrugged. "First day jitters."

"You're nervous?" she asked her face softening.

"Sure why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno it's just that after the way you put old Stan in his place I thought you were confident or something."

"Appearances can be deceiving," I warned her not really knowing why I said that. Oh yea idiot, you're warning her that you're a twenty-four year old pedophile who is stalking her classmates.

"Well that sounds gruesome," she laughed off my comment as we separated for second period.

"Good morning class, my name is Mr. Mark Ozera and this is American History." A rather tall lanky man with dark hair stood in front of the room. His hair was long like mine, but a little wavier and dark. I tried my hardest to see his resemblance to Rose, but she must have gotten her looks from her mother.

After class he approached me.

"Dimitri, it's good to put a face to a name. I believe you've met my daughter Rose and my son Christian," he said smiling as he mentioned his children.

"Yes sir, I am staying with the Dragomirs who have been so kind as to open their home to me while I pursue my studies."

"They are good people the Dragomirs. Our families go way back. I just wanted to welcome you to the school and let you know that if you have any trouble or you need anything the door to my classroom is always open."

"Thank you sir," I told him. He seemed nice.

Two periods later I was headed for the cafeteria. I'd managed to make the acquaintance of four of the girls on my list so far and another three of them had my same lunch period.

"So what's for lunch today?" Eddie asked getting in line behind me. He'd been in my advanced calc class along with Andree and Sydney. We'd all walked to lunch together.

"Subs by the inch and walking tacos," Lissa said as she, Christian and Rose joined us."

"What on Earth is a walking taco?" I wondered aloud.

"It's basically a taco salad with beans and meat, lettuce tomato, cheese and stuff all layed out over a bed of Fritos. It's not half bad actually," Eddie explained. It sounded disgusting.

"What are you getting?" I directed my question at Rose.

"Nothing, I'm brown bagging it today. Dad packed us his back to school lunch," she said smiling fondly as she spoke of her father. It made me happy that she had such a loving family. It made me miss my own. I'd have to remember to call my mother later. She didn't like that I was so far away all the time and she'd really be upset if she found out who I was working for at the moment. He didn't exactly have a stellar reputation.

"You should really try the taco though, it's phenomenal," she said.

"Well if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you," I teased sitting down next to her at the table.

"So what's the verdict Comrade?" she asked after I'd taken a few bites.

"Not half bad," I told her. "I need a soda. You want one?" In reality I needed an excuse to wander around the cafeteria and check out where Samantha Richards, Juliana Santos and Abbey Badica were sitting. They were the three girls that were on this lunch hour that had made my list. Their faces were burned into my memory from studying their charts for so long.

"Nah, I'm good," she said pointing to the can of Dr. Pepper in front of her.

I spotted Juliana sitting at a table with what looked to be cheerleaders and Abbey Badica was sitting at a table alone reading a book. I failed to locate my third target before returning to my seat.

"You looked lost out there, did you have trouble finding the pop machine?" Jill asked quietly. She was sitting to my left.

"A little," I told her pretending to be embarrassed.

"It's a big school. I had trouble adjusting when I moved here in Junior High," she said offering me a smile.

"Where did you move from?" I asked hoping not to sound too stalkerish.

"Well we've lived a lot of places, but most recently we were in Montana. My dad is in the Army," she said.

"Oh yea where else have you been? Anywhere cool?"

"Hmmm well we were stationed in Hawaii for two years, but I was only five so I don't remember too much. Then after that we were in boring places like New Mexico and Ohio. So far Astoria has been my favorite. We've been here for six years. My dad finally took a desk job so I could have a normal education." She'd opened up to me far more than I'd expected. She seemed so shy.

"I like it here so far too. I miss home, but everyone in this town is so friendly," I told her.

"Yea and there are some really good looking chicks at this school. I'd be happy to introduce you," Mason said. Jill and the rest of the girls at the table gave him dirty looks.

"Hey, I was just saying," he said. "You know I love you Jilly Bean," he said kissing her softly on the nose causing a crimson red blush to creep up into her cheeks.

"So what exactly is in a back to school lunch?" I asked Rose.

"Well a Dr. Pepper because that is my favorite. An apple, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, carrot sticks and two oreo cookies. You want one?" she asked offering me one of her cookies.

"Are you sure you're not too hungry?" I asked remembering her eating habits.

"Nah, I always save room for dinner on the first day of school." I took the cookie from her outstretched hand and as our fingers touched I felt a tingling sensation slowly creep up my hand and into my arm. I wondered if she felt it too.

"What is so special about dinner tonight?"

"Mom always makes my favorite Lasagna on the first night of school."

"I hope she makes a big one," I teased.

"You think you're so funny," she said chucking a carrot at me which I caught in mid air.

She glared at me as I crunched on it loudly smirking at her.

"Wow Rose, I think you've finally met your match!" Eddie guffawed. The rest of the table nodded in agreement.

**I split this in two because the next part involves a little violence=) Who do you think is going to pick a fight? Anyone start reading bloodlines yet? I downloaded it to my Kindle and read the first two chapters on my lunch break and it is fabulous and I am hooked. Can't wait to read more. Review if you want to see someone bleed=)**


	7. Chapter 7: The Right Reasons

**Chapter 7: The Right Reasons**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

DPOV

"Wow Rose, I think you've finally met your match!" Eddie guffawed. The rest of the table nodded I agreement.

Gym was next and it was all I could do to keep my eyes away from Rose's long legs in her daisy duke gym shorts. We were split into teams and we'd be playing floor hockey as our first tournament. Rose was on the opposite team and let's just say that she is one lean, mean, scoring machine. She was far better than most of the boys on her team except for Andree. She was small and light and ran faster than a lot of them.

"Eat dust Belikov!" she shouted as she scored the winning goal for her team.

"Well played, I had no idea you played hockey."

"Eh, only in gym," she replied winking at me."

"Don't mess with Rose when she's playing sports. She's highly competitive and will run over anyone who gets in her way," Andree warned me as we changed back into our regular clothes.

"See this?" he asked pointing to a scar on his leg. I nodded.

"She cut me off while we were racing our bikes two years ago. She knocked the wheels right out from under me. I needed twelve stitches and had a walking cast for six weeks. She's brutal man."

"I'll keep that in mind." I kind of liked it when girls were spunky. I might have to ask her to go running with me one of these days. I wondered if there were any trails around here. So far I'd just been running through the neighborhood. No! I had to stop thinking about her. We could not be together! Why oh why couldn't she just be annoying or bitchy or anything, but the desirable, wonderful, person she was?

"Hey Sister Mary Rose, where's your habit and wimple?" a boy with dark hair and blue eyes sneered as Rose exited the locker room. His arm was slung around a trashy looking girl with a really short skirt and knee high boots. Her midriff was bare and her shirt was as low cut as was passable outside of a strip club.

Rose looked at him and scowled. "What the hell do you want Zeklos? Isn't your new girlfriend trampy enough for you?" she bit out in an icy tone. I'm assumed this guy was her ex from the way Andree was glaring at him.

"You're just jealous because you're missing out. It's not too late Rosie. We're always open for a threesome, that is if you give up your life in the convent," he snorted.

"Sorry, I wouldn't want to get whatever STD's you picked up from little miss hoe bag over there," she said pointing at the girl.

"You're just mad cause he kicked you to the curb. You're nothing but a goodie goodie," said the trampy girl twirling her hair and snapping her gum.

"You want to say that again?" Rose menaced stepping forward. I could sense a fight was about to break out.

"Sure, you're a virgin whose parents won't let her drive a car because she's such a moron," the girl egged Rose on.

"You did not just say that!" Rose screeched pulling back her fist. I couldn't let her get into to trouble, not over these losers. I felt a burning need to protect her so as she pulled her fist back I grabbed her from behind holding her arms at her side.

"Get off of me!" she cried struggling against me. She was strong, but no match for my brute strength.

"He's not worth it. Calm down Roza, this isn't you," I breathed into her ear. After a few moments she relaxed into my arms.

"There's nothing to see here, move along," Andree barked clearing the crowd that had formed.

"Always knew you were a chicken shit," Zeklos snarked before turning away.

"I hate you Jesse!" Rose screamed struggling once again to get out of the hold I had on her.

"Come on let's go," I said pulling her down the hallway and into an empty classroom. She was breathing heavily and I could see the rage in her eyes.

"Can I let you go now?" I asked. She nodded and I loosened my grip on her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. We still had a few minutes until the bell rang.

"What's to talk about? He said it all."

"You have nothing to feel bad about Rose. He's a user. I've seen his type a million times. Once they get what they want they move on. You're better than that," I told her.

"I just hate that the whole school knows I'm a prude. Who's going to want to date me now?" she huffed sullenly. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that she was still pure. Not many girls her age were. It also made me murderous at the thought of another man with his filthy hands all over her beautiful body.

"Don't sell yourself short. Any guy who would only be with you for that reason isn't someone you want to be with. When the right guy comes along, he'll be with you for the right reasons."

"Okay Mr. know it all, what are the right reasons?"

"Well for one, you're smart and funny and real. You don't take people's crap and you have a big heart. You're also very beautiful," I added without meaning to. Cue mental slap here.

"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked giving me a weak smile.

"You know you're gorgeous," I said stating the obvious. She'd have to be blind not to see it.

"Yeah well the only thing guys see when they look at me are these," she said pointing to her breasts, which were indeed quite drool worthy.

"Well men are pigs," I countered making a point to keep my eyes on her face.

"Are you?"

"I'd like to think I'm not, but I guess you'll have to make that judgment for yourself. Now come on let's not be late for next period on my first day," I told her.

Why is it that girls are so embarrassed to be labeled goody two shoes, but flaunt the fact that they'll sleep with anything that moves? In my opinion it was far better to be made fun of for being pure as versus having a reputation as the class whore. I'd never understand women.

The rest of the first week of school was about the same. I made damn sure there were no more incidents with the Zeklos kid. I had tracked him down after seventh hour while he was sneaking out to smoke. I grabbed him by the collar and threw him up against the brick wall. I punched him square in the nose before he even had a clue as to what was happening. Blood poured from his nose which I'd probably broken.

"Don't you ever treat Rose or any other woman the way you did today. She is too good for scum like you. You and your trashy whore girlfriend will stay away from her. If I see either of you so much as look in her direction, I will beat the life out of you and I will enjoy it," I growled. He looked like he was about to wet himself.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes," he stammered. "I'll leave her alone. I promise."

"Good dog," I said dropping him onto the ground before stalking back into the building. The next time he saw me in the hallway he trembled a little before quickly darting in the opposite direction. I guess he wasn't as dumb as he looked.

Rose got kicked out of Alto's class on Thursday for calling him a sniveling weasel. In her defense, he deserved it. I saw her and her father in Principal Kirova's office third period. She'd gotten off with after school detention probably because her father worked here. I'll have to tell you though that I thought she was being unfair when she'd accused Alto of being an asshole before school started, but now I had to agree with her one hundred percent. The guy was a dick. He went out of his way to make snide comments to me about being foreign even going as far as to insinuate that I was a communist and always hassled Rose most of the time without reason. He even made fun of the overweight girl that sat in the front of the class claiming he couldn't see the student behind her because she was too wide. She'd burst into tears and rushed out of the room. I'm surprised he hadn't been fired yet.

So far I hadn't been able to eliminate any suspects. Today though, I was going to make my first move. I sat next to Hillary Hansen in French and I'd made it a point to flirt shamelessly with her all week. Today I was going to ask her to 'study' after school.

RPOV

"Oh my God Rose, did you hear that Dimitri asked Hillary Hansen to study with him after school?" Lissa came barging into the girl's bathroom during our study period. My heart sank a little when I heard that. I mean he was really nice to me all the time and it seemed like he was interested, but I guess I'd misread the signals if he had asked another girl to 'study' with him after school. The guy was a freaking genius and absolutely did not need help with his homework. He'd gotten an A on Alto's first test which I'd been lucky to score a C minus.

I sighed applying a coat of sheer pink lip gloss to my lips. "What am I doing wrong? I thought he was showing an interest," I told Lissa.

"Did you do what I told you?"

"Yes, I've been passing him notes in class, sharing my lunch with him, asking personal questions about his family and interests. I am even holding off on friending him on facebook so it looks like I'm playing hard to get. What more can I do?" I asked throwing my arms up in exasperation. Truth was although he'd said the opposite, he probably didn't want to date a prude. Curses to Jesse Zeklos for announcing my virginity to the entire school. Yes, the entire school had heard the news. My father commended me on my good decision making skills that very afternoon. He never came right out and said that he'd heard the gossip, but from the proud look on his face, I knew he had. Why did life have to suck so much?

"I have the best idea," Lissa said her demeanor brightening instantly.

"Uh oh, I know that look. The last time you had that look I ended up in a wet t-shirt contest."

"No, no this is different, I promise."

"What then?"

"I'll throw a little impromptu party tomorrow night," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

"How will that help?" I asked.

"It's going to be a pool party."  
>"Liss, I don't even have a bathing suit."<p>

"Oh yes you do, check the bags from last Friday," she said smirking. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like what was in the bag.

"Just trust me. Once he sees you in the suit I picked out he'll be saying Hillary who?" She said with an evil grin.

As I tried on my bathing suit, I tried to remember what it was that Dimitri had said about making boys want me for the right reasons. Right like he even believed that. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I realized the only thing boys were going to want me for were my huge tits. The suit Lissa had picked for me had to be the skimpiest scraps of fabric I'd ever seen. The tiny red triangles were barely covering my nipples leaving the majority of my breasts bare for the world to see. I turned around to view the back and got an eyeful of my nearly bare ass.

"If you think I'm letting you go to that party in that, you're insane!" Christian cried walking into the room.

"What are you doing in here Sparky?" I growled grabbing my robe and throwing it on over the offending suit.

"Where the hell did you get that? I know Mom wouldn't have bought it for you. Don't even get me started on the profanities that would come out of Dad's mouth if he saw you in that."

"Lissa bought it," I told him.

"I should have figured. You're not wearing it," he commanded.

"Who says that you can dictate my life?" I spat.

"I know what you two are up to. You're only wearing that to seduce Belikov and there's no way I'm going to let him take advantage of my little sister."

"Oh please you took Lissa's virginity when she was fifteen. You have no room to talk. You two go at it like rabbits. Why is it so wrong for me to want a boyfriend?"

"The only boyfriend's you're going to catch wearing that suit are horny pigs," he snorted.

"Well I don't have another one so what do you suggest I wear? The party starts in an hour."

"I'll swing by the mall with you on the way. We're bound to find something more suitable."

"You would do that for me?" I looked skeptically at my brother who was usually the first to tell me how annoying it was to have to drag his sister around everywhere.

"I love you Rosie, besides we can't have you running around looking like a stripper now can we?" I rolled my eyes. Same old Christian.

"Now this is what a bathing suit should look like," he said holding up a red and white polka dotted one piece suit with an attached skirt.

"Yea if you're eighty and have to hide your varicose veins," I snorted. Or if you want to look like Minnie Mouse, I added silently.

"Well how about this one?" he asked holding up a hot pink one piece with a Care Bear on the front. I sighed at his stupid joke. This is what I get for allowing my brother to take me shopping for a bathing suit. I might as well have taken my father and seventy-five year old grandmother.

"Wait, I think I found one," I told him grabbing it off the rack. It was coral in color and it had a regular bottom, but the top was like a tube top that would come all the way down to about an inch above my naval. It had spaghetti straps that went around the neck and three ruffles. It was flirty and cute and a little sexy without making me look like a whore.

"See, I told you we'd find one," he said bringing it up to the register for me. He pulled out his wallet as the cashier rang up the purchase.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Buying you a bathing suit," he replied handing the money to the lady behind the counter.

"Thanks Crissy, I promise I'll pay you back," I told him hugging him tightly.  
>"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid tonight and that will be payment enough."<p>

"You have my word," I told him.

**Uh oh! Do you really think she'll stick to her word? Isn't Christian the best brother? How sweet! Who liked that Dimitri defended Rose's honor and made Jesse bleed? Next chapter you'll be introduced to a very pivotal character. Any guesses on who it might be?**


	8. Chapter 8: Making Waves

**Chapter 8: Making Waves**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

RPOV

We arrived at Lissa's a little after seven which is when she'd invited people for.

"Hey Rose all the girls are in the cabana changing you can join them," Andree said welcoming us in. Christian followed him and I went to the cabana.

"Hey guys," I said greeting my friends. I was the last to arrive or so I thought. We had all changed into our bathing suits when the last girl arrived.

"What is she doing here?" I hissed glaring at Lissa as Hillary entered the cabana.

"I don't know," she stammered clearly as surprised as I was. "Dimitri must have invited her."  
>I groaned. "That's just fantastic."<p>

"Hey that isn't the suit I bought you," she commented as we headed out to the pool.

"Damn straight it isn't. I didn't want my sister running around looking like a hooker," Christian said giving her a look.

"Sorry, I thought it was really pretty," she said apologetically.

"And it would have been on you or on Jill or Sydney, but Rose does not have the same physique and something that tiny wasn't enough to cover her up," he responded.

"I guess I didn't think of that," she said sheepishly.

"Sorry Rose," she apologized.

"It's cool," I told her. What was not cool was that Dimitri had invited Hillary. This party was supposed to make him forget about her. From what I could see of her skimpy black bikini, he wasn't going to be noticing me tonight.

As the rest of the guests trickled in Lissa turned on the sound system. Lucy had put out an assortment of snacks and fake fruity drinks. I went to grab a handful of pretzels when my attention was drawn to the oh so fine perfectly chiseled muscular form standing across the room. He was absolutely magnificent standing there in all his glory. His eyes met mine and he smiled at me. I smiled back and gave him a little wave. It was then that I noticed Hillary. She had been standing behind me and was smiling and waving back at Dimitri. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Of course he had been waving and smiling at her. I was such an idiot. I turned around in mortification pretending to busy myself getting a drink.

I watched from afar as the rest of the gang splashed around and played marco polo and had chicken fights. They all looked so happy. I was the only one here without a boyfriend or girlfriend to goof around with. Even Dimitri had gotten into it. He and Hillary were getting along just fine. It was making me a little green to stand around and watch them flirt and be all touchy feely.

"Looks like you need a little pick me up," came a voice from behind me. I turned to find a tall good looking guy standing behind me. He was wearing swim trunks and smoking a cigarette. He had tousled brown hair and piercing green eyes. In his hand he held a flask.

"Fill it up," I told him intrigued by the presence of this unknown stranger. I held up my fruity drink and allowed him to pour a few swigs of whatever clear liquid was in his flask into the cup. I mixed it around and took a sip. I coughed a little and sputtered.

"What the hell is in that thing gasoline?" I choked suddenly wondering why I'd let a stranger spike my drink. I mean how dumb was that?

He smirked. "Nope, just good old Russian Vodka," he replied. He had a slightly foreign accent, but I couldn't quite place it. His skin was lighter than mine, but darker than the rest of the group except for maybe Dimitri.

"Who are you?" I asked taking a large gulp of my drink enjoying the feel of it burning in my throat. I didn't usually drink that much, but tonight I'd make an exception. Anything to drown out the thoughts of Dimitri and Hillary going at it.

"My name is Adrian Ivaskkov," he said. "I'm staying here for a while with my Aunt Tatiana." Ah so he was Miss Ivashkov's notorious nephew.

"What is your name little cupcake," he asked eying my choice in swimwear.

"Rosalie Ozera, but you can call me Rose," I told him. He eyed me curiously, almost like he was checking me out, but not in a sexual way. It was like he'd seen me somewhere before and was trying to put my name with my face.

"Have we met?" he asked. I gave him the once over he'd just given me. Certain features stuck out at me and his eyes were almost haunting, like I'd seen them in a dream somewhere before, but I didn't remember meeting him.

"I think I'd remember if we had," I told him. "Who let you in here?"

"I'm new at school and Andree and Lissa were so kind as to extend an invitation so I could meet some people," he said taking another drag on what I now realized was a clove cigarette. The smell was vaguely familiar and it was odd because no one in the United States smoked those or at least no one who cared what they smelled like.

"Hey slow down with that. It's really strong," he warned as I continued to gulp down my drink. I waved off his warning. How different could Russian Vodka be than the regular kind?

"What's got your girly parts all tied in knots?" he asked putting his cigarette out with his thumb and index finger and tossing it in the trash. "Or should I say who?" he rephrased nodding in Dimitri's direction.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked quite embarrassed that a perfect stranger could tell that it was Dimitri and Hillary that were making me so flustered.

"Your aura is radiating whenever you look at him," he said.

"Huh? What is an aura?" I asked. This guy was really weird. He wasn't making much sense. I wondered how much he'd drunk before he got here.

"I'm just good at reading people and their feelings. You could call me emphathetic if you want," he explained.

"How about just pathetic?" I asked trying to get a rise out of him.

"Touche little cupcake. You and I are going to get along just fine," he said slinging his arm around my shoulder.

Adrian was funny and instead of joining my friends and their dates in the pool being the eternal third wheel or in this case eleventh, I decided it would be more fun to hang with him poolside for a while. Besides I needed a distraction from Dimitri.

"So what's with the bathing suit?" he asked lighting up another cigarette.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked looking down at myself.

"Nothing, it's cute. I just figured you'd dress a little more like your friends over there." He pointed to the rest of the girls who besides Sydney who was wearing a modest one piece, were all wearing skimpy string bikinis leaving little to the imagination.

"Cute?" I asked slapping my forehead.

"I wasn't going for cute. I just didn't want to look like a stripper," I groaned.

"Well I like that in a woman, you know not looking like a stripper and all," he said probably trying to make me feel better.

"So if you're after that one over there, what is he doing with that other girl? You are much better looking in my opinion," he stated.

I sighed heavily. "I don't know. He just asked her out on Friday. I thought he liked me and all, but I guess I was wrong," I said finishing what was left of my cocktail. I was beginning to feel the effects of a good buzz.

"Well from the way he keeps shooting daggers at me, I'd say you weren't wrong when you said you thought he liked you," he mused. My eyes shot over to where Dimitri was standing. His arm was around Hillary's shoulders, but his eyes were trained on me and Adrian. If I wasn't mistaken, there was jealousy in his eyes.

"So you're the only one without a mate here?" he asked pulling out his flask. He took a sip and offered it to me. I gladly accepted and took a large slug. It went down easier this time.

"Yup. What about you?"

"I'm spoken for," he replied. "She's a little older and is in college. Her name is Avery," he elaborated pulling a photo out of his wallet.

"Wow she's really beautiful," I breathed as I held the photo in my hands.

"Yes, she is."

"Where does she go to school?" I asked.

"Overseas, I won't see her again until the holidays." He looked sad as he said that.

"Hey Rose, Adrian are you going to join us or are you having your own private party over there?" Mia shouted loudly.

"Yea come on and join us," Lissa called out waving frantically from the water. Christian was behind her and he glared at Adrian. Dimitri was also glaring at Adrian.

"Shall we?" he asked pulling me to my feet.

"Sure why not?" I said wobbling slightly from the effects of the vodka.

"Woah there little cupcake, be careful," he instructed as he steadied me and I clung to his arm as we made our way to where the rest were floating.

"Rose are you drunk?" Sydney hissed always the responsible one.

"Shh, don't tell Christian," I hiccupped jumping into the water.

DPOV

Well I had figured out after three 'dates' as I called them with Hillary that she wasn't the one I was looking for. I had let her down gently telling her I was just new in town and was looking for some fun. She said she understood. What perturbed me the most was the pool party Lissa had thrown last weekend.

Rose had looked absolutely stunning in her tankini. It showed just enough of her beautiful figure to drive me wild wondering what was underneath. The rest of the girl's attire left little to the imagination and to tell the truth, I admired Rose for not trying to attract the wrong kind of attention. Albeit unknownst to her, I was paying very close attention.

She kept to herself most of the night much to my disappointment. It was almost as if she was avoiding me. I realized she had probably gotten the wrong impression with all the attention I paid her and was hurt when I showed up with another girl. I kicked myself for worrying about such a thing. I wasn't here to find a girl and certainly not an underage one at that, but why did it irk me so much when the new guy showed up and she spend most of the night talking to him? Every time I heard her laugh at something he said I cringed internally with the strong urge to break his kneecaps. I had never experienced this type of jealousy before even with girls I had actually been dating.

To top it off he had spiked her drink with what I recognized as a very strong brand of Russian vodka, I'd only seen at home. To say that she was more than a little drunk by the time the party was over was an understatement. Christian hadn't wanted to take her home intoxicated for fear that their parents would not allow them to come to the Dragomir's anymore so he made excuses for her that she was sleeping over again and her parents had bought it hook line and sinker.

I heard her up in the middle of the night throwing up in the guest bath. I stood outside the door waiting for her to come out.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked stumbling out of the bathroom. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was flushed.

"I thought you could use a little help," I offered allowing her to lean on me for support as I escorted her back to her room. I wet down a washcloth and laid it on top of her forehead.

"You really shouldn't make it a habit to drink Russian vodka?" I chastised.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Big mistake. I feel like death."

"Why were you drinking anyway?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," she muttered.

"Well next time don't. It's not good for you. You're too young, your body can't metabolize that much liquor," I scolded.

"Geez you sound like you're about forty," she groaned. "Why do you care anyways?"

"Because, I care about my friends Roza. I don't want to see anything happen to you," I said stroking her hair softly. "I've seen what happens to young girls who abuse alcohol at parties. They end up doing things they wouldn't normally do and regretting it later. You're better than that. Try and get some sleep," I told her as she began to drift off.

"Thanks Comrade," she whispered just before her breathing evened out. I smiled at her odd nickname for me, thinking that soon she would probably give me one that wasn't quite so friendly. I slipped back to my room to do a little recon. I crossed Hillary off my list and decided that tomorrow I would make it a point to figure out Liz Baker, my locker buddy. I only hoped that my newfound promiscuity didn't hurt Rose too much. I had to stop thinking about her. If seeing me with other girls kept her at a distance, then that was an added bonus.

She'd think I was a womanizing pig and then I wouldn't have to worry about falling in love with her, only I kind of think it was too late for that. When I wasn't thinking about the case, I was thinking about her and only her. I tugged on the end of my short pony tail utterly frustrated. It would be so much easier if I could just right out ask the questions I needed. I didn't figure it would go over to well if I started up a conversation by asking if their crazy red haired mother had abducted them and then dumped them off with a stranger. Yea, I'm sure I'd get a lot of them to open up to me that way.

I groaned dreading school on Monday. I so did not want to play nice with a bunch of hormonal teenage girls, well at least none of them except for Rose. Hillary had been easy to deal with, but the rest might not take too kindly to my sudden lack of interest. I could only hope to find the right girl before I had to fake date too many of them.

**So enter Adrian Ivashkov. What do you think of him? He calls her little cupcake because if you look at the link to Rose's bathingsuit on my profile you'll see she kind of looks like one lol! Not in a bad way though. Did anyone catch what he called her when he tucked her into bed? Review please=) Bloodlines is awesome so far. Lots of surprises that I didn't think about. Haven't finished yet so don't spill please!**


	9. Chapter 9: Dimitri the Man Whore

**Chapter 9: Dimitri the Man Whore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

DPOV

Two weeks later I had crossed of Liz baker and one other girl off the list. Just as I had suspected word had gotten around that I was a use them and lose them type of guy. It didn't seem to matter though as girls that were not on my list or my radar were constantly finding excuses to talk to me and flirt with me all day long.

Today was the day we would have cross country try outs. School was over and anyone who was interested was to report to the track right now. I had changed into my running clothes and good shoes and had begun stretching when Rose showed up. She, Sydney and Jill had been on the team in previous years.

"Hey Comrade," she said throwing down her gym bag opposite where I was standing.

"Hey," I greeted her stoicly. It was hard to ignore her when she was standing right next to me so I decided polite conversation was necessary if I didn't want to raise any red flags or piss anyone off. The thing about pissing Rose off was that it was easy to do and if she was pissed then Lissa was pissed and I so did not need trouble at home. Living with the Dragomir's had been a piece of cake so far and I didn't need to burn any bridges.

The coach asked us to line up girls on one side and boys on the other. She then asked us to run a quick warm up and then we would be running a ten kilometer race to see who had the best times. Ten kilometers was nothing compared to the rigorous training I had been putting myself through for the past eight years or so. I usually warmed up with a ten K before doing any actually training or real running.

"On your marks, get set, go!" The shot was fired and we were off. Much to my surprise after a few laps Rose was not only keeping pace with me, she had surpassed me. We ran neck and neck for nearly the entire race. She was amazingly graceful as she ran, not to mention a major distraction.

"East my dust Comrade," she called out pushing herself to complete her last lap just a mere two seconds before me. We both collapsed to the ground lying side by side panting. It was at least twenty seconds before anyone else made it across the line. Sydney and Jill weren't even close.

"Great hustle Hathaway. Belikov, your time needs work. With those long legs you should have been lapping her," the coach said throwing us both towels and water bottles. Rose laughed as she poured half her water over her head and guzzled the rest down.

"She sure told you Comrade! What's it feel like to be beaten by a girl?" she asked propping herself up on her elbows. Damn she looked sexy in her tight workout clothes all sweaty and wet. I resisted the strong urge to roll on top of her and kiss her senseless while running my hands all over her sexy body.

"Comrade?" she asked waving her hand in front of my face.

"Yea, it sucks. You're so fast. How are you so fast?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I like to run. It soothes me." I knew exactly what she was talking about. I felt the same way. Whenever I was stressed and needed to relax, I would go for a run.

A few days and a few grueling practices later the list of names of people who had made the team were posted on the wall. I wasn't surprised that there was a crowd surrounding it. I was a good six inches taller than the rest so I was able to read the list clearly without having to fight through it.

My name was on there as well as Sydney Sage, Jill Mastrano.

"Oh my God Rose! You made team captain!" Sydney shouted over all the din.

"I knew you would," Jill squealed. Rose was jumping up and down with her friends.

It was good to see her happy. She was not happy as she watched me with a look of disgust as I left to pick up yet another girl on Friday evening. In fact I had two quote unquote dates this weekend. One on Friday with Cynthia Perry and the other on Saturday with Dawn Jacobs. Seeing the look on Rose's face as I left to pick Cynthia up Friday night nearly convinced me to give up my mission and stay home with her. She was spending the weekend with Lissa and it took all I had to stop myself from sneaking into her room after I came home from my date. I really had to stop thinking about her. She was beginning to interfere with my mission which was not going well.

Cynthia took me to her apartment. She was an emancipated minor and if I might add a little on the eager side.

"So how about we order in and watch a movie?" she asked. Her place was small, but clean. It was a studio so the bed was right in the middle of the room. It was the only place to sit. She ordered a pizza and while we waited she sat down next to me on the bed.

"You want a beer?" she asked opening a mini fridge right next to us pulling out two Coronas handing one to me. It felt weird drinking with an underage girl, but what the hell. Anything to keep my mind off or Rose and anything to get her tipsy enough to open up to me so I could figure out her deal.

The pizza came and as I nursed my second beer, she was already on her fourth and a little tipsy.

"So tell me about yourself," I asked. "Why are you living here all alone? Where is your family, if you don't mind me asking."

"They're not around," she said vaguely. "You're cute, what is it like in Russia?" she asked shifting closer to me so our knees were touching. You'd think that as a man, I'd be a little turned on by her advances, but the only feeling I had as she put her hand on my thigh was that this was wrong. Not because she was seventeen and I was twenty-four and not because she was drunk and I would be taking advantage of her. It was because being with her wouldn't be the same as being with Rose and oh how much I wished I was back at home with Rose right now instead of out here being seduced by some other girl. I hated that at this very moment Rose was at home thinking the worst of me when all I could think about was being with her.

"Russia is nice, much more peaceful and a little more slow moving than here, but we have everything they do here even McDonalds," I told her gently removing her hand from my thigh.

"Really they have Big Mac's in Russia?" she asked leaning closer. I had been on enough dates to know that she was trying to get me to kiss her. I didn't want to, but I needed more information so I let her continue her advances.

Her lips slowly brushed over mine and I shuddered, a little disgusted with myself for not pulling away. She continued to kiss me and I let her. It was sick, but in the back of my mind I was imagining she was Rose and just for a few seconds I got lost in my fantasy grabbing her around the waist and allowing her entrance to my mouth. A loud crash from outside startled us both and I jumped to my feet glad for the interruption.

"What was that?" she asked looking slightly frightened as she smoothed down her tousled hair. I looked out the window and checked around the outside, but found nothing.

By the end of the night I had the information I needed to rule out Cynthia as Abe's daughter. Her father was in prison for murdering her mother and that is why she was an emancipated minor. I felt really sorry for her and falsely promised to call her soon.

RPOV

It was dinner time and Dad had come straight home from work to start on it so it would be ready when Mom got home.

"What's the occasion?" mom asked as she came in the door to find the table set and Christian and I already at the table.

"Our little Rosie made team captain for Cross Country," Dad said beaming at me as he removed the steaks from the oven. Steak was one of my favorites and we only had it on special occasions seeing is that it was not cheap.

"Way to go Rose!" my mom cheered. "This is cause for celebration. Did you call and tell your sister?" she asked.

"Not yet, but Lissa posted it all over facebook so I'm sure she knows," I told her. There was no way I was calling Tasha. She would just find some way to rain on my parade. She always did.

"What are you two up to tonight?" Dad asked.

"I'm going to Lissa's," I announced.

"Are you going as well?" he asked Christian.

"Nah, it's girls night or whatever. We're going to Eddie's to watch the game," Christian told him.

"Are you dropping your sister on the way?" Mom asked.

He shrugged. "I guess. When are you going to get over it and let her get her license?" he grumbled.

My ears perked up at that.

"That's not up for discussion," Dad said his mood turning on a dime.

My hopes sank. One little joyride when I was fourteen and they'd banned me from getting my license until I was eighteen. It didn't seem to matter what I did. I could get an A in math and it wouldn't matter, well okay I'd never pull off an A in math, but still, I could do everything right and still they'd remember that one little mistake. It sucks being a teenager sometimes.

"Oh and one of these nights we really should extend an invitation to the Dragomir's and their exchange student to barbeque with us. He seems like a nice fellow and very bright. He can't know many people and it has to be hard being away from his family. I'll figure out a date and then you can ask them Rose."

"Okay," I said softly. I was trying not to sound as enthused as I was. It would be entirely awesome to have Dimitri here for dinner. I wanted him to get to know me and where I lived. Plus, if he was here with me then that meant he wouldn't be out with another girl. The thought of him out with Hillary and then Liz Baker and two other girls I knew from around school was making me really upset, too upset to eat much of the steak Dad had made especially for me.

Christian dropped me at Lissa's with my overnight bag. It was one of those nights that we were all sleeping over and I of course was the last to arrive as usual. I always had to wait for my brother to drive me.

"So is Dimitri going with Andree to guys night tonight?" I asked. I hoped he wasn't and he'd be home so I could snag some alone time with him.

"About that," Lissa started and I knew I wasn't going to like whatever she had to say.

"What? What is it that all of you know that I don't?" I asked. As I looked at each of my friends they avoided looking me in the eyes.

"Will you just tell me already?" I asked.

"Dimitri has a date with Cynthia Perry tonight," Mia blurted out while the rest remained silent.

"Cynthia Perry, the skank whore with her own apartment?" I asked in disbelief. Lissa nodded.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. I really thought he liked you. Everything about him when he's around you screams that he's into you."

"Then why does he keep asking other girls out?" Sydney snorted. I glared at her.

"Look, maybe he's not really dating them. Maybe he's just getting to know people. He is the new guy. Maybe he's just trying to make friends," Jill said trying to sound hopeful.

"Right and I'm starring in a show with Madonna tonight," I groaned sarcastically.

"Why does it have to be her?" Of all the girls at school, why did he pick her? I just knew he was going to be at her apartment and that they'd probably end up in bed together. She was known for bringing her dates back to her place and letting them have sex with her. What the hell was all that crap at school about not letting guys want me for the wrong reasons? Who the hell was he to give me dating advice when he was obviously a man whore himself? By the end of my inernal rant, I was fuming.

"Hey, I just had a brilliant idea," Mia said her eyes getting that mischievous glint they usually had when we were about to be let in on one of her masterminded plans. She was the schemer of the group and her plans usually ended with one or more of us in trouble.

"What?" I asked reluctantly.

"We should follow him and see if he's actually dating her or if he's just being nice. Maybe all they're doing is homework," she said innocently.

"You know as well as I do that Cynthia Perry does not invite boys over to her apartment to do homework," I growled.

"Well at least then we'll know what his deal is, besides it's either that or the Twilight marathon Lissa has set up in the movie lounge," Mia hissed.

"I heard that!" Lissa said giving Mia a death stare.

"Okay, I'm in." Everyone else agreed as well.

"What should we wear?" Lissa asked.

"Well if we're going to be spies, then I suggest black," Sydney said.

While my friends got ready, I watched from the top of the staircase as Dimitri left in his nice jeans and button down shirt to go pick up his date. God he smelled good, I thought catching a whiff of his woodsy aftershave. He looked up at me and waved as he was leaving. I didn't have the energy to wave back. I did however shoot him a look of disgust before heading back to Lissa's room.

"I can't believe I let you all talk me into this. Do you know what is going to happen if we get caught? He's like my house brother. He's going to be pissed. Not to mention what my parents will say."

"Quit your bitching Lissa and hurry up," Mia grunted. She was leading the way. We'd taken Lissa's parent's SUV and were now crouched outside of Cynthia's window. How Mia knew where she lived I didn't want to know. She seemed to know everything though. If you wanted in on the latest gossip on anyone at any school, Mia was your go to girl.

Her apartment was on the second floor so we'd have to get creative if we wanted to see anything. There was a small fire escape.

"Okay since Jill, Sydney and I will make a base and Lissa and Rose can climb up and peep in okay?" Mia said.

"Okay then let's get to working and for heaven's sake don't let them see you."After fifteen minutes we were finally in position. I placed my hands on the window ledge as did Lissa and we peered inside, only I wished I hadn't. My stomach turned at the sight of Cynthia draped all over Dimitri. They were kissing on her be and his hands were around her waist. He seemed to be enjoying himself. I didn't know why it bothered me so much. He'd never come right out and said he had feelings for me. I was completely smitten with him and it hurt more than I cared to admit that he really was the scum bag I'd been trying so hard to prove he wasn't.

"Rose, I'm so sorry," Lissa said sympathetically. I turned my head away not wanting to subject myself to any more of the porn, but as I did Jill lost her footing and we all went crashing to the ground. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before we were caught and we all scattered hiding behind bushes and trees. Not thirty seconds later Dimitri was out on the balcony snooping around. At least he still had his clothes on.

After we were sure the coast was clear we all piled in the car and Lissa drove us home.

"So is he a dirt bag womanizer?" Sydney asked.

Lissa and I both nodded. "There was definitely more going on in that apartment then I ever wanted to know. They're probably doing it like rabbits by now," I said sadly.

"Who would have thought he'd be such a pig?" Jill muttered.

"Should have figured any guy I fall for usually turns out to be a pig. Remember Jesse?" I reminded them. I was a magnet for losers.

"How is that going? Has he done anything since the first day of school?" Lissa asked.

"Surprisingly no," I told her. It was weird actually. It was almost like he was going out of his way to avoid me and or when I did see him he was perfectly polite.

"That's good. So if you're not going to hook up with Dimitri then what about Adrian? He's foreign, new in town and really handsome," Mia commented pulling up his facebook.

"Yea it also says he's in a relationship," I pointed out. I already knew that though.

"Oh, I guess it does," she said.

"He's actually a pretty cool guy though. Maybe he can help you find someone."

"Do I really seem that desperate that I would ask him to set me up? I mean really. Just because you all have boyfriends doesn't mean that I have to. Why is it so wrong to be single? I'm only seventeen. You all act like I'm some thirty-five year old spinster sister you're trying to pawn off on the first guy who'll take her!" I shouted. I knew I was overreacting, but I'd be damned if I let them sit there and tell me the only way I was worth something is if I had a boyfriend.

"Rose wait!" Lissa called.

"Forget it, I'm going to sleep in Andree's spare room," I said taking my bag. I slammed the door shut behind me.

I stomped down the hallway angrily and ran smack into someone. I looked up and instead of seeing Andree like I'd expected, my eyes landed on Dimitri. Of all the rotten luck, why did it have to be him I ran into?

"Rose, what are you doing with those bags? You look mad," he commented.

"I am, no thanks to you," I grumbled under my breath.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Not with you," I spat. He looked upset at my attitude and I remembered that if he thought of me just as a friend then he'd have no idea why I was so ticked off at him. He also didn't know we'd been spying on his little make out session with the skank.

"I'm sorry. No I don't want to talk about it. Mia just said some things that upset me so I decided to go camp out in Andree's spare room for the night," I explained.

"I see, well if you want some company you're welcome to join me in the theater. I was thinking about heading down there to watch some old westerns," he said.

A part of me was thrilled that he would invite me down there, the other part told me to get a life and that he was just being nice because he wanted to be friends. If he thought he was going to spend half the night making out with that Jenna Jameson wannabe and then come home and snuggle on the couch with me, he was crazy.

"Why are you home so early?" I questioned. It was barely ten-thirty.

"My date had a curfew," he lied smoothly only I knew it wasn't true since she had no parents to answer to, but I wasn't going to call him on it and look like a stalker.

"I see, well I don't feel much like watching anything right now," I said declining his offer.

"Okay then, have a good night. I hope you feel better," he added. He almost looked disappointed that I refused his invitation, but then again I was just a silly little girl who was reading too much into someone who was just trying to be nice. God, how pathetic was I that he had offered to spend time with me? I hurried into the guest room and threw myself down on the bed.

"Fuck my Life!" I shouted into my pillow before chucking it at the wall. It landed without making a sound which didn't do anything to ease my frustration.

**Poor Rose! What did you think? Are we ready to kill Dimitri yet? Anyone want to hurt Cynthia the skank? For those of you reading The Next Nine Months expect an update by the end of Monday. **


	10. Chapter 10: My Father the Pimp

**Chapter 10: My Father the Pimp**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**RPOV**

"Fuck my Life!" I shouted into my pillow before chucking it at the wall. It landed without making a sound which didn't do anything to ease my frustration. I didn't see Dimitri the next day. Lissa and Mia had apologized and I'd ruefully accepted when they offered to take me to Swizzle's for waffles.

I was going to stay at Lissa's Saturday too, but I just wasn't feeling up to being the odd man out yet again and declined my brother's offer to take me with him when he left.

"Are you feeling okay?" my father asked. "You never want to miss out on a chance to stay with Lissa." He furrowed his eyebrows at me in concern.

"I'm okay, just not feeling up to socializing tonight," I told him. I also wasn't up for seeing Dimitri go on yet another date with another girl while I sat alone pining away for him.

"Tired of being the third wheel so to speak?" he observed. I looked down at the floor.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked embarrassed that my own father knew what a loser I was.

"Chin up Rosie, how about we hit the movies and see something your mother would hate. I hear the new Transformer's movie is all action. We can hit the ice cream parlor on the way home," he said. Oh brother now I was so pathetic my own father felt sorry for me. But hey it was the only offer I had so why not. Besides, I liked spending time with my dad.

I shrugged. "Okay."

We saw the four o'clock show and it was pretty damn good if you asked me. Dad even let me get snow caps.

"You were right. Mom would have hated it," I laughed as we exited the theater.

"Hey there Little Cupcake, Mr. Ozera," greeted none other than the mysterious Adrian Ivashkov. He was standing against the side of the building. I could see him putting out a freshly lit cigarette with the tip of his expensive shoe.

"Adrian," I greeted.

"Ah you two must know each other from school," my father said.

"We met at Lissa's pool party a few weeks ago," Adrian said. "It's nice to meet Rose's father in a non school capacity," he said extending his hand for my father to shake. Well if he isn't the picture of politeness, I thought rolling my eyes.

"You're Tatiana Ivashkov's nephew right?" my father asked shaking his hand.

"That I am. My dear old Auntie is letting me stay with her so I can finish up my studies."

A devious look came over my father's face. "You know what Rosie, I'm not feeling the whole ice cream thing. I just realized I have a ton of papers to grade. Maybe you and Adrian would like to go without me and you know discuss the movie." My eyes widened as he winked at me pressing a ten dollar bill into my hand.

"You've got a car right son?" he asked.

"Yes sir, I can get her home."

"Good, curfew's at eleven," he called already halfway to the car.

I could not believe what just happened. My father had tried to set me up on a date. Now I really did feel like a loser.

"Well then, we should really be getting to that ice cream parlor Little Cupcake," Adrian said taking my arm and leading me with my mouth still agape towards the shop.

"That was humiliating," I muttered putting my head in my hands as we slid into a booth at Cupid's.

"Nah, I think it was sweet. I watched you guys at the movie. You're the picture of the perfect father and daughter." A far away took up residence in his eyes for a few seconds and then it was gone. I might have even imagined it.

"What are you a stalker? Why were you at the movies alone?"

"Well let me see, it might be because I'm new in town, or because I'm a loner or because my girlfriend is halfway across the world. Or it could be that I'm a self destructive narcissist that tends to alienate himself from most of what society deems the "normal" people."

"Well that explains why you and I keep finding each other."

"That and I find your company tolerable. You know you're the first girl I've met here who hasn't tried to hit on me."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "It must suck to be you."

"Well like I said I'm spoken for," he said with a smirk.

"So let me guess, you're out with your father on a Saturday night because you don't want to think about Belikov being out with his slut of the week."

"What do I have loser stamped on my forehead? How is it that everyone can read me so easily?" I huffed.

"I'm just good at reading people is all. Plus, word's gotten around that he's the new school man whore," he said taking out one of his clove cigarettes.

"Yea, well who needs him anyways."  
>"At a girl," he said. "Now let's order us up some heart attack in the shape of a banana split shall we?" I giggled.<p>

"You're not so bad Ivashkov," I told him.

"You either Little Cupcake," he said.

Our banana splits arrived just as Adrian was showing me how to balance the napkin holder on his forehead. He really was a hoot.

I had taken about two bites when I noticed that instead of eating his banana split he was making crude art with the bananas.

"What are you doing? I laughed at the look of intense concentration on his face, his lit cigarette hanging out of the side of his mouth.

"Wait, I almost have it," he said. "There, finished," he said looking up at me.

"You're sick you know that," I said as we both busted into fits of laughter.

"Uh oh, Russian at three o' clock," he muttered straightening up in his booth.

"What? Where?" I hissed. He pointed as non chalantly as he could behind me.

"Don't worry I've got your back," he said. "Just relax and act like you're having a good time."

Relax was he kidding me? I couldn't relax. My heart was racing at the thought of Dimitri being here let alone when I caught a glimpse of him as he walked past our booth not noticing me of course with Dawn Jacobs trailing behind him.

"I'll have to tell you, the man has odd taste in women," Adrian said finally taking a bite of his sundae. I wanted to become invisible at this very moment. I looked like crap in my brother's old Nine Inch Nails t-shirt and baggy jeans.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked figuring I might as well enjoy my ice cream before it melted. So what if he saw me here with Adrian. Maybe he'd be jealous. Yeah right, but a girl could hope right?

"It's just that the girls he's asking out are all particularly sad and slightly off beat. He doesn't go for the usual obvious beauty, like you," he said giving me the once over.

"I'm hardly beautiful," I snorted. "Look at me. I'm a total mess."

"Nah, you're definitely beautiful. Where are you from anyways?"

"Uh Astoria?" I said looking at him quizzically while ignoring his compliment.

"I meant your ancestors. You're too dark to be from around here originally."

I shrugged. My dad says I've got my grandmother's Italian complection.

"You're as Italian as I am cupcake," he snorted. I wondered what he meant by that.

"Did you notice how he has a type?" he asked changing the subject before I could ask him what he meant by that.

"What do you mean?"  
>"Dark hair and dark eyes, slightly tanned skin tone. He never goes for the obvious blondes with big jugs."<p>

"You're a pig you know that?"

"Hey I'm not the one sampling thirty-one flavors each month," he said licking his spoon. He did have a point there.

I saw the minute Dimitri noticed I was there. He smiled at me for a second before noticing Adrian. His face fell and his mood darkened and he gripped his shake cup tightly. So tightly in fact that it exploded all over the table and all over his date.

"Oh my God,"Dawn screeched as his chocolate milkshake went spraying all over her too tight white shirt.

I couldn't help but let out a fit of giggles.

"What's going on? I can't see anything!" Adrian hissed."

"He just spilled his milkshake all over her."

He snickered. "Karma's a bitch."

"You want to get out of here?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Where would we go?"

"Just trust me," he said throwing a twenty on the table and rising from his seat. Dimitri was frantically trying to wipe the milkshake off the table and Dawn had scampered off to the bathroom to clean up her surely ruined top. It almost looked like she was going to cry. Aww poor baby, I thought.

As I stood up, Adrian slung his arm around my shoulder.

"Let's go somewhere a little more private shall we?" he asked rather loudly.

"Nice mess," he commented smirking as we passed Dimitri's table purposely using the back door to taunt him.

"Yea, you're real smooth Comrade, You sure know how to show a girl a good time," I teased allowing Adrian to pull me into his side. Dimitri's hands clenched into fists. The look on his face was murderous as we left him there glaring after us.

Once we were outside Adrian removed his arm from around my shoulder.

"That was mean," I told him.

He shrugged lighting up another cigarette. "He's been asking for it for weeks, besides we just proved his interest in you. He so wants to rip out my entrails right now."

"So where are we going?" I asked curiously.

"How competitive are you?" he asked.

"Extremely," I responded.

"Good," he said as he led me into the arcade down the block. We ended up playing games until around ten-thirty.

"So how was our first fake date?" he asked pulling up in front of my house.

"Not too shabby. I actually had a lot of fun."

"Well call me if you ever want to make the Russian jealous again," he said winking as he programmed his number into my phone.

"I'll keep that in mind," I told him.

"Goodnight Little Cupcake," he said.

"Goonight, and thanks," I told him.

Adrian was nice and I truly did have a good time. He was attractive don't get me wrong, but I just didn't feel that way about him. Not because he had a girlfriend, but because he was kind of the goofy older brother type. I felt really comfortable around him, like I could tell him anything. Maybe that was what I needed, a friend without benefits.

"So how was your ice cream?" Dad asked as I closed the front door behind me.

"You could have been a little more subtle about pimping me out," I grumbled.

"Aww come on. He's nice. Didn't you have any fun?"

"Yeah, we had fun," I told him running up the stairs to my room not wanting to endure a long agonizing conversation about my non date with my father. I flipped on the computer and opened my facebook page. I took another look at Dimitri's page. He only had twenty-three friends. I thought about friending him, but quickly decided against it.

"Take that you cheeky womanizing bastard," I grunted clicking off his page. I then searched for Adrian. He was easy to find and had even fewer friends than Dimitri. I clicked add as friend and a few minutes later while I was checking my messages he confirmed me. I guess I really had made a friend after all.

**So what are we thinking about Adrian and how did you like Dimitri's reaction? Please review=)**


	11. Chapter 11: Oh Sister Where Art Thou?

Chapter 11: Oh Sister Where Art Thou?

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy

DPOV

Of all the dumb luck in the world, I had to run into Rose on my date with Dawn. If she didn't already think I was a pig, she definitely did now. I smiled at her, but my smile quickly became a frown as I realized she was here with Adrian Ivashkov. The guy was new in town and I knew nothing about him other than the fact that he just suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was a continual pain in my side. I hated that he was hanging around Rose. Were they on a date? I glared at them and I didn't realize how hard I was gripping my cup until my milkshake shot out the top and all over Dawn. She of course squealed drawing attention to us.

Rose was laughing like a hyena and I couldn't blame her. Dawn gave me a dirty look and rushed off to clean herself up. Adrian threw some money on their table and helped Rose to her feet. Yep they were definitely on a date, I thought as I watched, green with envy as he put his arm around her and drew her closer into his body.

I had to restrain myself from growling at them as he flaunted the fact that she was on his arm in front of me as they headed out the back door, which I'm sure was for my benefit.

Dawn came back a few minutes later looking a little better, but not too happy. I decided to call it a night and offered to drop her off at her house. I met her adoptive parents on the way out of the house. All I had to do was run their names through my computer and wait on the results of the adoption to see if all the paperwork was in order.

When I got home it was quiet on my end of the house. I decided to log onto my computer and see if by chance Rose had added me as a friend. She hadn't. I didn't figure she would. She was angry with me and with good reason. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if her hanging out with Ivashkov was just a ruse to make me mad. If it was then it was working. My blood had been boiling when I'd seen the way he had his arm around her waist.

I had been here a little over a month and I had accomplished very little. My high hopes for being out of here by Christmas were not looking good.

My cell phone buzzing brought me back to reality. I recognized Abe's number.

"Privet," I answered.

"How are things going?" he asked. I described my progress and the girls I had ruled out. He told me I was doing well and asked if I needed anything.

"Access to adoption records and possibly DNA testing would be helpful," I said rubbing the back of my neck.

"DNA testing?" he asked.

"Well if I could get DNA samples from some of the prospects we could send them to a lab with a sample from you and know one hundred percent whether or not they're a match in just a few weeks."

"I'll work on it," he said. "Oh and one more thing, my son has taken it upon himself to keep an eye on you. He's infiltrated the school system and is staying with an Aunt on his mother's side. I'm sure you've met him by now. I would have warned you sooner, but he didn't take care to tell me of his plans until just last night."

I wracked my brain to think of any new people in town and it hit me.  
>"Adrian Ivashkov," I growled.<p>

"Ah so you have met him. Well be warned he is unpredictable, but extremely concerned about his sister. They were close as children despite their age difference. He's under strict orders from myself not to interfere with your work."

I hung up the phone. Not only was Adrian the son of Abe Mazur, but I knew from his background check as Adrian Mazur, that he was twenty-one and had been in trouble with the law on more than one occasion. He was known for drinking and partying. This whole time he'd been here he'd been keeping his identity from me and from Rose. Not that I wasn't even guiltier for keeping my identity from Rose.

One thing was for sure, I was going to have to have a little chat with him to make sure he knew that Rose was off limits. She was too young for him and way too young for me. If I was forcing myself to maintain a distance, then so was he. There was no way knowing what I knew about him that I would allow him to start any sort of relationship with her. She was pure and innocent. Hell she was a virgin. He was known for being a lady's man in his college years. I'd be damned if I was going to stand by and allow him to corrupt her.

It had been two more weeks and Halloween was fast approaching. I hadn't had any luck on the case. The adoption records I sought were sealed and I was having a really hard time cracking the encryptions and passwords I needed to access them. Abe had called back telling me that he had hit a dead end on the DNA front and that if we wanted to do it we'd have to wait six to eight weeks for each test result. I thought I'd have better luck the way I was doing it now. I had only ruled out 5 out of the thirteen girls and since had added four more to my list. They were not on the original roster having not paid their entrance fees in a timely manner. My goal this week was to figure out the mystery that was Jill Mastrano. It would really piss me off if I checked out all the rest and the one I wanted was right under my nose.

Things with Rose had gone from bad to worse. She still wouldn't friend me on facebook and she barely spoke to me outside of classroom assignments or the occasional yes or no answer. She avoided me in the halls, didn't pass me notes in Alto's class and at the Cross Country meet last Saturday she completely ignored me. Her times were slightly better than mine and she didn't even bother to rub it in my face. It was killing me inside that she was angry with me. I missed talking to her. The only time she'd said anything substantial to me was when she'd reluctantly extended an invitation from her father for the Dragomir's and myself to come over for a bonfire and barbeque this weekend. From her attitude and the way she nearly growled the invitation at me I took it that she was not too happy to have to spend a Saturday with me.

_Flashback to yesterday after English _

"_Dimitri wait!" she called as I got up to leave. My heart jumped in my chest. It was the first time she'd initiated contact with me since the ice cream parlor incident two weeks ago. Maybe she had moved past it. _

"_Hey Rose, what's up?" I asked trying to sound cool and collected, but on the inside I was a huge ball of nerves. _

"_My dad wants me to invite you and the Dragomirs to come over on Saturday for a bonfire and barbeque, that is if you don't already have plans with some random girl you hardly know," she practically spat. _

"_I'm sure the Dragomirs will be delighted to come," I said ignoring her comment. "I know I am looking forward to it. Can we bring anything?" I asked hoping to prolong our conversation. She shrugged. _

"_I know what you shouldn't bring," she snarked inferring that I shouldn't bring a date. Like I would actually bring a girl over to her house. I'm not that much of an insensitive bastard, although she probably perceived me that way. If only she knew how out of character all of this dating was for me. I was shy in high school and dated only one girl for a short time. I fared a little better in college, but I wasn't used to all this interaction with females. I was by nature and introvert and had become even more of a recluse since Ivan had passed. He always liked to use me as his wing man and that is how I met a few of the girls I dated. _

"_If you really want to bring something ask my dad," she said turning on her heel and walking away. Damn she looked especially hot today in her tight jeans and deep red shirt that clung to her in all the right places without making her look cheap. My hands clenched into fists as I walked out in the hallway to see Ivashkov leaning against her locker. He said something and she laughed. Wasn't it bad enough that he'd infiltrated our lunch table and hung around Rose like a dog all day? _

_End Flashback_

Speaking of Ivashkov, I had yet to confront him about his true identity. I wanted to obtain as much information about him as I could before blackmailing him to stay away from Rose. I'd finally found a few things I could use. I approached him after school. He of course was standing where he usually did under a big oak tree across the lot smoking one of those ghastly cigarettes. I really had no clue as to what Rose saw in him.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked smugly not moving from where he stood.

"You know what this is about Adrian Mazur," I growled shoving the papers I'd found in his face.

"Ah so I see dear old Dad has made contact and ratted me out. I was wondering what was taking him so long." He didn't seem at all perturbed that I was ready to pummel him at any given moment.

"What is it you want and how close are you to finding my sister?" he asked. Wait wasn't I the one that was supposed to be interrogating him?

"What I want is for you to stay the hell away from Rose. You're too old for her plus you're married," I spat thrusting a copy of his marriage certificate into his face.

"Well you don't say. I did think it was funny that she wore a white dress and we had all that pomp and cirmcumstance. Is that what they call a wedding?" This guy was slick, I'd give him that.

"I'll tell you what, if I'm too old for her then that makes you ancient." He continued to smoke his cigarette paying no mind to me whatsoever.

"Why are you pursuing her?" I snapped.

"I'm not. As you said I'm a married man and a happily married man at that. It only looks like I'm pursuing her because you're so damn jealous. Why don't you just give in and tell her how you feel already? You know she thinks you're a horny pig don't you?"

"That is none of your business!" I menaced.

"The hell it isn't. You're so busy thinking about her that you haven't even come close to figuring out which one of those girls you're pretending to date is my sister!" he yelled raising his voice for the first time.

"That isn't true. I have been making progress. I'm not with Rose because I'm too old for her and I am not here to socialize. I'm here on a mission. She's just a distraction I can't afford," I hissed running a hand through my hair in frustration.

"As long as you keep up what you're doing there's nothing wrong with having a little fun while you're here."

"Rose is not someone to have a little fun with. She's not that kind of girl," I roared shoving him up against the tree.

"Wow you really have it bad for her don't you? You know she's fallen under your spell as well," he said.

"What do you mean? You said she thinks I'm a pig."

"She does. It doesn't change the fact that she's falling for you. Haven't you heard that teenage girls are all about guys who treat them like dirt?"

"She's falling for me?" I asked lowering him back to the ground. He nodded.

"You Russian's are so dense," he commented lighting up another cigarette.

"What are you really doing here?" I asked him.

"I know this might be hard for you to understand, but I was ten when my sister disappeared. I remember her, hell I took care of her while her mother was having her crazy manic episodes. I've been helping my father search for her since I was fifteen. This is the first time I actually feel hope that I will see her again. Mostly the leads have been dead ends and the investigators tell my father to give up and that she's long since dead. I never believed that. Janine was batty as hell and crazy to boot, but she'd never kill her own daughter."

For once since I'd met him I felt sorry for him. I don't know what I'd do if someone took one of my sisters away from me. I guess I would be trying to find her as well.

"I understand your need to be here, but I'm warning you. Don't get in my way! If you hurt Rose, I'll hurt you!" I threatened.

"I won't hurt her. She's a good kid and fun to be around. She's not like her friends. She's got substance. Besides she's the only one here I have anything in common with."

"And what would that be?"

"Well we're both competetive, we like to play games, we're both separated from the ones we love." He gave me a pointed look.

"I see, well like I said be good to her and don't try anything or I'll expose your secret. I believe her name is Avery."

"She knows I'm involved and that her name is Avery. She doesn't know I'm married because she thinks I'm seventeen you nitwit. It wouldn't benefit your undercover status to reveal my true age," He rolled his eyes at me.

He had me there and we both knew it.

"One question," I said. "How is it that you've been going to this school for over a month and your sister hasn't recognized you? I looked at pictures of you at that age and you look different, but you are definitely recognizable," I mused. His green eyes were unmistakable.

He sighed, a grimace on his face. "The only thing I can think of is that she was somehow brainwashed to forget the first five years of her life. My sister was smart. She knew how to speak Turkish and English and had just learned to read and write. She was close to six years old when Janine took her. You don't just forget your father and brother, your address, phone number and the fact that you lived in Turkey. Janine did something to her and if she wasn't already dead, that Bitch, I'd kill her myself." By the end of his rant he was breathing heavy and his voice was elevated. With each word his face became redder.

"Okay I get it. I was just wondering," I told him.

"Well you keep wondering and keep looking. Don't you think that every time I look at one of the girls at this school with dark hair and dark eyes I wonder if she is my sister? Why do you think I like hanging out with Rose? She's a dead ringer for Rosemarie and has the same name. That may make me a little sick in the head, but she brings me comfort okay!" By this time he was raving like a lunatic. I couldn't blame him. He'd been through a lot.

"Really, I am sorry you had to go through that. I promise that I will not stop looking until I find Rosemarie," I assured him.

I walked away more confused than ever. He was right Rose was a dead ringer for the girl I was looking for. She didn't fit the profile, but her looks were dead on. I could see how he was drawn to her.

**So all of you who were encouraging me to have Rose and Adrian make out… can you say gross! They're brother and sister for heaven's sake…. LOL a few of you caught my hints along the way. So there will be no Rose/Adrian romance because I do not believe in incest… but that does mean she could make out with Christian right? Nah I would never do that or would I? What do you think of Adrian now? **


	12. Chapter 12: Ozera Family Barbeque

**Chapter 12: Ozera Family Barbeque**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

DPOV

Soon it was Saturday and time for the barbeque. I'd asked Mr. Ozera what I could bring at school yesterday and he told me to bring myself and a big appetite. He said I'd have to have a big appetite to out eat his daughter. He said it with such pride in his eyes, his blue eyes. Rose was stunning so I'll bet her mother was very beautiful as well.

"So I just want to warn you about something," Andree told me as we were getting ready to head over to the Ozera's.

"What is that?" I asked fiddling with the dark green button down shirt I'd bought a few days ago. I wanted to look nice for Rose. I'd even gotten a haircut as it had become rather unruly. I gelled it a little and pulled it back into a short ponytail at the nape of my neck making sure I had no stray strands hanging out.

"Rose and Christian's older sister Tasha is going to be there and while she's a looker, she's sort of a praying mantis," he said frowning.

"What does that mean?"  
>"It means that she's always on the prowl for a good looking guy. She dates him, drains him dry, uses him for her own sexual pleasures and then bites off their head."<p>

"I'm not too worried. She's what twenty-one? I'm too young for her." If only that were true.

"That's the worst part. She's always been a sucker for younger guys and she can't stand to let Rose win one."

"What does Rose have to do with it?"

"Well let's just say Tasha has stolen every potential boyfriend Rose has ever had or would have had except for Zeklos and that's only because she was studying abroad in France that semester."

"I'm not dating Rose," I pointed out. It pained my heart to say that, but it was true.

"Yes, well we all know you want her and she's definitely into you. Dude, just be careful. Tasha is tricky and I'd hate to see Rose get hurt again. She and Tasha don't really get along."

"Why is that?"

"I don't really know. Tasha is pretty and all, but she's always been jealous of Rose, probably because she'll never be as smoking hot as her little sis."

We arrived in two cars in case we kids wanted to stay late as Mrs. Dragomir had put it. When we pulled up in front of the house I had to smile. It was a quaint two story house that slightly resembled the one I grew up in. Although it was nothing like the splendor of the Dragomir mansion it was just as beautiful. There were two large trees in the front yard a wraparound porch that looked freshly painted with a porch swing. The lawn was pristinely mowed and there were very well manicured peony bushes lining the front and both sides of the house. Of course it was October so they weren't in bloom.

We cut across the lawn and I followed Lissa and Andree around the side of the house. Andree opened the gate to reveal a large backyard with a nice sized patio. There were tables and chairs set up in the yard as well as the garage. There were coolers lined up against the side of the house labeled pop, water and beer.

I could see as Lissa ran over to find Christian that we were not the only guests. Miss Ivashkov and Adrian were there, Mr. Tanner and what looked to be his girlfriend were talking to Mr. Ozera. Mia and her parents were there and of course Sydney. I saw an older woman talking to a tall, thin girl with dark hair whom I did not recognize. I didn't see Rose anywhere.

"Oksana, how are you?" Mrs. Dragomir called out as she crossed the lawn. The older woman turned and waved in our direction.

"Lila, Eric, so good to see you," she said crossing the lawn. The girl followed her.

"And this must be your exchange student Dimitri," she said. "Welcome, I'm Oksana Ozera, Rose and Christian's mother. I've heard a lot about you," she said shaking my hand.

"It's very nice to meet you," I responded.

"Oh and this is our oldest daughter Tasha," she explained putting her arm around the dark haired girl. Andree was right, she was pretty, but nowhere near as beautiful as Rose.

"It's really nice to meet you," she purred holding out her hand. I did the polite thing and shook it.

"Wow they sure do grow them tall in Russia," she giggled. Oh this was going to be a fun night. I'd known her less than a minute and already she was the most annoying person I'd met so far. I glanced around still looking for Rose, who hadn't shown her face yet.

"Would you like something to drink?" Rose's mother asked me. I studied her face, but failed to see her resemblance to Rose. I could easily pick out matching features from her to Tasha, but Rose remained a mystery. She was the only family member without striking blue eyes. She also seemed to have missed the boat when it came to height as well. Her mother and sister were both at least five eleven and her father was easily six three. I made it a point to remember to ask her about it later.

"A Coke would be fine, I can get it," I told her heading towards the cooler. I really just wanted an excuse to escape Tasha's leering. It was really creeping me out.

"I'd like a Coke as well," her grating voice accosted me from behind. I took a deep breath, put on a smile and fished two coke's out of the cooler handing one to her.

"Oh you're such a gentleman," she cooed twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"You haven't by any chance seen Rose have you?" I asked her.

"Oh my little sister," she said rolling her eyes. "She's probably upstairs. She's been in a foul mood today. I doubt she shows her face. I think she's on the rag if you know what I mean," she whispered snickering.

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but it didn't sound like a compliment.

"Adrian," I called out as he passed by actually happy to see him for once. He gave me a strange look, but once he saw who I was talking to he smirked.

"What's up Belikov? Hey did you finish that paper on _The Scarlett Letter? _I'm having a little trouble with mine and I was wondering if I could pick your brain," he said steering me away from Tasha.

"Thanks man, I owe you one," I told him once we were out of earshot.

"Oh you're going to want to stay away from that one. She's all kinds of batty," he said pulling out a cigarette.

"Do you really think it's wise to smoke here?" I asked giving him a look.

"Damn, pretending to be in high school sucks," he groaned kicking the dirt.

"Tell me about it," I commiserated taking a sip of my Coke. What I wouldn't give for a nice cold beer right now. I wasn't a lush or anything and I didn't drink a lot, but I did enjoy kicking back with a beer every once in a while and sometimes even a nice shot of strong Russian vodka.

"So where is Rose?" Adrian asked pulling a flask discreetly out of his pocket and taking a slug.

"Will you put that away?" I hissed.

"Geez relax. It's just a little pick me up. Barbeques are not really my thing."

"Tasha said Rose is in a bad mood because she's on the rag," I told him. He sputtered and practically spit his drink all over me before busting out into hysterics.

"Dude, did you seriously just say that with a straight face?" he asked wheezing.

"What? What did I say?" I asked confused. I was only repeating what Tasha had told me.

"You really don't know too much slang do you?" he said gasping for air. Suddenly I was aware that I must have said something embarrassing.

"I guess not, now what did I say?" I asked.

"You just said she was in a bad mood because she's on her period," he howled. I flushed with embarrassment rubbing the back of my neck while Adrian continued to laugh. At least I had only said it in front of him and not the rest of the group.

"What's so funny?" Christian asked as he and Lissa approached us.

"Not a thing," Adrian said smirking. It took all I had not to punch him.

"So has anyone seen Rose?" Lissa asked.

"She's upstairs. Tasha made fun of her dress saying it made her look like a cow so she won't come down," Christian said glaring in his older sister's direction.

"What a jerk," Lissa said. "I'm going to go get her." She walked away determined to get to Rose.

"Why would she do that? Rose is far from overweight."

Christian shrugged. "Tasha has always picked on Rose because she's the only woman in our family with curves and she's short and she's got brown eyes. The list goes on."

"She's just jealous because Rose is hotter than she is," Mia said as she and Eddie joined us.

A few minutes later Lissa came back outside with Rose trailing behind her. Rose was wearing a black long sleeved sweater dress, white leggings and furry black boots. It was chilly outside so she was also wearing a very pretty scarf. Her hair was down and wavy. She looked beautiful, not at all like a cow.

"Hey Rosie, don't let Tasha get to you, she's just being her usual obnoxious self," Christian said trying to make his sister feel better.

"I think she resents me being born," she grumbled.

"Hey there little cupcake, you look very nice," Adrian complimented her. Damn him. That was what I wanted to do.

She looked down at her dress self consciously. "Thanks," she said.

"I hear there's a whole table full of appetizers over there. Do you want to check it out," I asked Rose.

"What is that a crack about my eating habits?" she demanded daggars shooting out of her eyes.

Okay definitely not the right thing to say. I needed to save myself and fast. I was drowning while everyone looked on with amusement.

"No, of course not. I was hungry and wondered if you wanted anything. I'm sorry if I offended you," I apologized. Apparently she was still mad at me.

"Well I'm not hungry so you can go yourself," she spat. The rest of the group didn't look at all surprised at her standoffish behavior although Sydney shot her a disapproving look.

"Dimitri, oh there you are," Tasha squealed. "I'm starving let's hit the appetizer table. I helped Mama make the dips." She all but latched onto my arm dragging me away. Well there certainly was a dip in the room.

"That didn't take long," Rose snorted. I shot Adrian a pleading look, but he just shrugged leaving me to be shark bait.

RPOV

I watched out the window as my sister threw herself at Dimitri. That girl had no shame. Just ten minutes ago she was hanging all over Adrian. She knew better than to try that shit with Andree. He knew better than to succumb to her advances. He'd seen enough of her conquests get burned.

Ugh, the way she was touching him was making me sick. I mean I was still mad at him for the whole being a man whore thing, but seriously Tasha? Uh uh no way. He was so not that cheap. Who knows though. He'd been here two months and had dated like six girls. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I wanted to wear a dress so I could look nice, but Tasha had reared her ugly head and told me I looked like a cow. She said the dress made my hips look wide. I huffed and flopped down on my bed. It was the only dress I had that still fit besides the white one Lissa had bought me and it was way too cold to wear a sundress.

"Rose, what are you doing up here?" Lissa called from the doorway.

"Sulking and trying not to look like a cow," I huffed.

"Rose you know she only said that to piss you off and make you stay up here all day worrying about it."

"I know. She's just such a bitch. She's been home for all of a day and already she's managed to make me feel like crap and she's working her skank magic on Adrian and Dimitri," I groaned.

She laughed. "I seriously don't think it is working. They're both trying to avoid her."

"How do you know?"

"Well they looked happy to see each other and they spent at least ten minutes talking alone. That says something. Usually they just glare at each other from across the room."

"That's true," I muttered.

"Come on you can't hide in here all day. Come down. It'll be fun I promise."

"Fine, but if she says anything I'm going to have to dump my drink down her dress."

"It's a deal."

Damn why did Dimitri have to look so hot in his green button down shirt? It was driving me crazy, but I was still mad at him. I guess I shouldn't have snapped at him. He was only trying to be nice. Either that or he was trying to get away from Tasha. Now he was stuck with her. She practically grabbed him and dragged him over to the appetizer table.

"What's wrong little cupcake?" Adrian asked taking a seat beside me where I'd chosen to sit alone. My friends obviously knew I was pissy and were staying away.

"Nothing, just my sister being a bitch and hanging all over Dimitri."

"Aren't you mad at him?" he asked intuitively.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she can have him!" I snapped.

"Trust me, he sees right through her bullshit. He actually wanted to talk to me he was so anxious to get away from her," he laughed. That made me feel a little better, but what really hit the spot was watching him feign politeness as my sister talked his ear off and flirted shamelessly with him.

"Should I be nice and go over and rescue him?"

"Your call little cupcake. If it were me, I'd let him squirm a bit longer." With that he walked over to the cooler that was distinctly labeled beer and grabbed one while no one was looking. I rolled my eyes. Some people never learn.

"Burgers are done, get them while they're hot!" my father called from where he and Mr. Tanner and Mr. Dragomir were grilling.

My mother carried two large plates of burgers over to the big table where all the condiments were set out. Mrs. Dragomir followed her with a plate of hot dogs and bratwurst. I watched as everyone fixed up their plates heaping it high with Mrs. Dragomir's special pasta salad or should I say Lucy's and corn on the cob. I was hungry as hell not having eaten breakfast this morning. I'd lost my appetite after Tasha had sat down at the table, grabbed a piece of bacon off my plate and told me she was doing me a favor by eating it, that I didn't need so many calories. She then proceded to pinch my cheek and call me chubby.

"Hey Rosie, you better get some while they're still there. We've got a lot of hungry teenage boys willing to go for seconds," my father said noticing I had not yet fixed myself a plate.

"I'm not too hungry dad," I told him dishonestly.

His face fell. "Are you getting sick? You seemed fine yesterday. Did you catch something?" he asked concerned.

"No, I'm not sick. I think I have room for a little bit," I told him.

"That's my girl," he said squeezing my shoulder before returning to where he'd been sitting.

"Yea Rose it's unlike you not to eat," Christian remarked a worried look etched into his face.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you your face will freeze like that?" I barked getting up from the table in a huff.

I walked or rather stomped over to the food table and grabbed a plate.

"Great there's no bratwurst left," I grumbled grabbing a hamburger bun and fishing one off the plate.

"You can have mine," Dimitri offered startling me from behind. I turned to face him.

"Nah, it's cool. I can have a hamburger. It's not a big deal," I told him. Why in the hell was he being so nice to me? I'd been treating him like dirt this past week even going out of my way to ignore him at cross country practice and the meet.

"Are you sure?" he asked waving his plate in front of me.

"Yea, you should have it. You're the guest." I continued putting ketchup and lettuce and tomato onto my hamburger and helped myself to a spoonful of pasta salad.

"Why don't we share it?" he asked grabbing a plastic knife, cutting it in half and placing one half on my plate before I could argue.

"Why are you being nice to me?" I asked eying him suspiciously.

He shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be nice to you?" he asked taking a seat at the small table that was set up in the garage. I glanced out the window to where my sister was gawking around the yard probably waiting for him to return.

"Are you hiding in here from Tasha?" I asked wondering why he was sitting alone.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked sheepishly.

"Nah, I just know from experience," I said sitting down next to him.

"Well, between you and me, I much prefer your company." Oh my God melt my heart why don't you? Every time I get it in my head that I'm done pining for him, he has to go and get all Mr. Perfect on me.

"Is that all you're having?" he asked pointing to the hamburger and half a bratwurst and tiny scoop of pasta salad on my plate.

"I guess." I took a bite of my hamburger.

"You shouldn't let her bother you like that. You are far from overweight and you should eat when you are hungry. It isn't healthy to starve yourself," he said in earnest.

"I don't think I'm fat if that is where you're going with this little zen lesson," I said rolling my eyes.

"I'm just annoyed that I'm the only one in this family who has meat on my bones. I mean look at my brother and sister and my mother. They're like model thin and my father is slightly bulkier, but only because he works outside in the summers and lifts heavy stuff. Why did I have to take after my grandmother and no one else did?" I huffed.

"Well, I'm betting that wherever this grandmother of yours is that she is stunning," he said a twinkle in his eye.

**So what did you think of Tasha? Why do you think she's so mean to Rose? Do you think Dimitri is starting to suspect Rose as one of his leads yet because of her lack of family resemblance? **


	13. Chapter 13: Haunted House

**Chapter 13: Haunted House**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

DPOV

Stunning? Oh brother why can't I just keep my mouth in check for one day around her? At least she's speaking to me now. One thing that bothered me a little was how two blue eyed parents could produce a brown eyed child. Was that even possible? When I studied punit squares in freshman biology I was sure they said that each blue eyed parent had two recessive genes and couldn't pass on a dominant one to their offspring. I'd have to remember to look that up when I got home.

It was nice having some alone time with her. I was sad when we were finished eating and rejoined our friends. After dinner there was an array of desserts.

"You should really try one of Rose's homemade chocolate chip cookies. They're to die for," Mia suggested. We were all sitting around the campfire Rose's father had made in their fire pit. It was getting chillier and I wished I'd brought my duster. It was very out of place, but it would have kept me warm or at best I could have given it to Rose instead of her running back into the house to fish out a sweatshirt to throw over her dress.

I walked over to where the desserts were set out and grabbed two large chocolate chip cookies.

"You don't want to eat those," Tasha commented wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Why not?" I asked daring her to insult Rose again.

"My sister made them and she's not real good at that domestic stuff, she's kind of a tom boy if you know what I mean." Man this girl doesn't know when to stop does she? I felt sorry for Rose and glad that Tasha was away at school most of the year. She must have made Rose's life miserable growing up. I mean my sisters and I bickered and teased, but not in the cruel way Tasha did. She seemed like a vindictive bitch to me and I wondered what it was about Rose that irked her so much her good looks aside. I mean who really hated their sibling because they were better looking?

I took a rather large bite of the cookie which was by far the best I'd eaten next to my mother's and grinned widely at her as I moaned in appreciation.

"Hmm no, I definitely want to eat this," I mumbled with my mouth still full of cookie. And just to rub it in I grabbed the entire plate and walked back to the others leaving her gaping behind me.

"Hey guys you really have to try the cookies Rose made. They're incredible," I shouted. Two minutes later the plate was empty.

"Hey, I didn't get one," Rose whined staring at the empty plate.

"I saved one just for you," I told her placing the cookie in her open hand.

"Thanks Comrade," she said sweetly a huge smile on her face. I had in fact stashed two more cookies in my pocket. They were damn good and I wasn't sharing with anyone but her.

"Hey Rose, maybe you could bake me some of these cookies sometime," Adrian said with a smile. I glared at him. If she was going to be making anyone cookies, I wanted it to be me.

"Sure, anytime Adrian," she offered. Adrian winked at me when no one was looking. He was really asking for it. The only thing that kept me from beating him to a bloody pulp was the fact that his father was providing my paycheck.

"So Rose, are you and Christian going to do the fundraiser thing for your senior trip?" Lissa asked. My ears perked up. I hadn't heard of a senior trip.

"Oh I'm so excited. Can you believe we're going to Disneyland?" Mia squealed. Rose sunk into her seat.

"Yea, I'm going to try, but it's a lot of money."

"You've got until March to do it. The trip isn't until Spring break you know," Lissa said supportively.

"Yea, I know," she said dejectedly.

"How much is the trip?" I asked.

"Eight hundred," Andree responded.

"That's rather steep for a school trip isn't it?" I mused.

"Well it's all inclusive. It's coach bus fare, four nights in a hotel, three days in the Disney parks, one at Universal Studios and breakfast is included," Mia explained.

"It's still a lot of money," Rose grumbled. I felt bad. To her friends eight hundred dollars was nothing, but to her it was impossible. I knew the feeling.

"So what type of fundraiser can you do?" I asked.

"There are two. One is a cookie dough sale around the holidays and the second is candy bars and magazine subscriptions."

"I see," I told her already plotting how many tubs of cookie dough I could buy without looking like a stalker.

"Don't worry Dimitri my parents are paying for yours so you don't have to worry about fundraising," Andree said.

"Have you ever thought about getting a part time job?" I asked Rose.

"Yea, I've thought of it a million times. The only problem is transportation," she huffed.

"What do you mean?"

"My parents won't let her drive," Christian piped up.

"Why not?"

"Stupid mishap with the car when I was fourteen," she moaned.

"They've forbidden me to get my license until I'm eighteen."

"That seems a little harsh. What exactly did you do?"

"I may or may not have stolen the car and took a little joyride," she said.

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"It is when you end up in Canada," Christian snorted. My eyes widened as I regarded Rose.

"That's my girl. You go little cupcake," Adrian hooted in approval. Of course that imbecile would think that was funny.

"It was fun at the time, but it's embarrassing not having a license."

We stayed until the wee hours of the morning and despite a few more annoying encounters with Tasha, it was a very pleasant evening. I was back in my room scouring the net for information on the adoption records I was seeking. Unfortunately none of my contacts wanted to cooperate right now. I would have to call Abe and ask how much he was willing to spend on bribes. That was literally the only way we were going to get anywhere with these people.

Curiosity got the better of me and I did a google search on genetics only to come up with what I had already known in the back of my head. Two blue eyed parents could definitely produce a brown eyed child. Something about gene mutations and a bunch of other stuff I didn't really feel like reading. Who was I trying to fool anyways? Of course Rose wasn't the girl I was looking for. She had a loving family and a wonderful life and I wouldn't want anything less for her. I clicked off my computer and decided to call it a night.

RPOV

"Rose, Halloween is next week!" Lissa exclaimed happily.

"Hmm seeing is that it's on the same date every year, I think I already knew that."

"What crawled up her butt and died?" Mia asked.

"She needs to get laid," Sydney commented.

"Thanks guys for reminding me yet again that I have no boyfriend and I'm horny as hell."

"Ohh do you want me to order you a vibrator?" Mia asked perking up. That girl was shameless.

"What? No, I do not need a vibrator," I groaned. Or did I? Ugh was I really that desperate that I was actually considering asking her to get me one?

"So the question is what are we going to wear?" Mia asked.

"We should go as famous couples," Jill suggested.

Great, I thought. Just another way for me to be the ninth wheel.

"I've already started working on it," Lissa said pulling out her IPAD

"So Christian and I are going as Cinderella and Prince Charming of course." Everyone groaned and Sydney made gagging noises earning a dirty look from Lissa.

"As I was saying Christian and I are going as Cinderella and Prince Charming, Mia and Eddie are going as Sandy and Danny from Grease, Sydney and Andree are going as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo and Jill and Mason are going as Edward and Bella from Twilight and…," she paused looking at me sympathetically.

"No, I will not go as Scooby Doo. I'm not going to be someone's pet!" I screeched.

"Well maybe you could talk to Adrian and figure out a couples costume."

"Whatever, I'll figure something out," I told her. It was times like these that I really felt like the odd man out. I couldn't believe that she wanted me to go as a dog.

It was time for Mia's Halloween party and I had to laugh at Christian in his ridiculous Prince Charming outfit.

"Oh my God!" I cried snapping a picture on my phone.

"That is so going on Facebook right now!"

"Give me that phone Rose or so help me I'll kill you," he screamed chasing me down the stairs.

"Uh uh this is payback!" I cried rushing into the bathroom and locking the door behind me. I quickly uploaded the picture tagging Christian with the caption 'someone just lost his man card'. He was so going to kill me for that later, but it was worth it. Luckily for me he couldn't kill me because Mason was honking his horn outside. He left and then I realized I was stranded and would have to call Lissa for a ride. I was dialing my phone as I walked down the stairs.

"Is that your costume?"Adrian asked. He was standing in the foyer. I had no idea he was even here. My mother must have let him in. I guess I didn't need to call for a ride now.

"What it's a good one!" I argued. I had cut two holes in an old sheet and was wearing it over my head.

"Right, good thing I came prepared," he said thrusting a plastic bag at me. I looked at him skeptically. He was dressed like Elvis complete with a white sequined jumpsuit, sunglasses and wig.

I snatched the bag out of his hand hoping to God it wasn't a Pricilla Prestley costume. Ten minutes later I came back down the stairs feeling awesome.

He wolf whistled at me as I descended the stairs. "Well there Marilyn you do look stunning," he complimented me holding out his arm.

"Thanks Adrian, you're a lifesaver," I told him. The bag had everything I needed including a wig, fake mole, shoes, a dress and a tube of red lipstick.

"Well I didn't want to go all couples so I decided that we could both go as famous rock stars who died of overdoses," he explained.

"Good thinking."

When we showed up at the party it was in full swing. Mia's parents were out of town so there were literally no rules tonight. My parents thought we were going to Lissa's and Lissa's parents didn't really ask where they were going so it all worked out.

"Oh my God Rose your costume is genius!" Lissa shouted as she spotted us. Mia lived on the same side of town as Lissa. Her house wasn't quite as big as the Dragomir's, but it was enormous nonetheless.

"It was Adrian's idea," I said pointing to where he was already headed towards the spiked punch.

"The house looks awesome," I told Mia.

"Thanks, I hired a party planner to come in and do the decorations. I even had them set up a haunted house in the basement. You should check it out. I'd take a strong man with you though to cling to if you get scared," she said with a wink. I rolled my eyes as Adrian came back with two cups of red liquid.

"Eeww this looks like blood," I griped.

"It's supposed to silly. It's just fruit punch, seven up and Bacardi," Mia explained.

"Bottom's up," Adrian said toasting me as we both threw back the blood red concoction.

"Let's go mingle," I told him as we made our way through the crowd. In one room they'd set up a large barrel of water and people were bobbing for apples. It looked a little unsanitary if you asked me. As we continued down the hallway we passed through a large tangle of fake cobwebs complete with very realistic looking hairy spiders.

"Ugh, gross!" I commented as one got stuck in my wig.

"Most girls would have screamed," I heard Dimitri comment from behind me. I turned around and gaped in awe at him as he stood leaning against the wall in tight jeans and a white t-shirt. He wore sunglasses and held a leather jacket over his shoulder. Damn was he hot.

"Well if it isn't James Dean," Adrian muttered heading in the other direction probably to go smoke.

"I'm not most girls," I rebuttled.

"So I've noticed." If I wasn't mistaken he was checking me out. My dress was rather low cut compared to what I usually wore and it was lined so I didn't have to wear a bra. For someone with my bust size that wasn't always the brightest idea.

"Have you checked out the haunted house? I hear it's really scary," I asked trying to make conversation. Ever since my parent's barbeque I hadn't been able to stay mad at him. Tasha of course had given me all the intimate details of what she perceived as their first date. She was really dense that sister of mine. I think she was trying to make me jealous, but it wasn't going to work. I could tell that he truly was annoyed by her. Andree must have warned him.

"No, not yet. Would you like me to keep you company in case there's an ax murderer or something down there?" he asked giving me a sexy grin.

"Well, I'm not really that scared, but if you want me to keep you company then I guess I can't say no."

"Well then, let's go." I set down my cup on the table and followed him to the basement door.

"After you," he said. It was quite dark and as we descended the stairs a spooky fog wafted up from the floor. As we reached the bottom, a figure in black dressed the grim reaper with his sickle greeted us. I jumped a little at his raspy voice.

"All ye who enter here be prepared to forfeit your souls," he rasped. I almost laughed as we turned the corner. There were gargoyles that were meant to ward off evil and underneath them on a table were three large black boxes. One was labeled eyeballs, the second brains and the third had a question mark. There were holes in the top that said touch me.

"You're not seriously going to put your hand in there Comrade?" I asked as he stepped forward.

"Why not, it's just for fun Roza," he said sticking his hand in the first box.

Did he just call me Roza? I vaguely remembered him calling me that the night of the pool party when I was hung over.

He made a face and pulled his hand out quickly.

"Your turn," he said with a grin."

"Uh uh no way," I said backing up.

"Oh come on you're not fun," he said as he grabbed my hand forcing it into the box.

"Oh my God!" I squealed. It really did feel like eyeballs. I quickly yanked my hand out.

"What the hell is in there?" I screeched.

"It's just peeled grapes," he said laughing hysterically at the look on my face.

"How did you know that?"

"I'm Russian, not an idiot," he responded shaking his head.

"Put your hand in here," he instructed pointing to the box labeled brains.

I sighed and allowed him to put my hand in the hole. It felt cold and stringy and slimy.

"Okay Comrade, what's in that one?"

"Wet spaghetti."

"I should have figured. What about the third one? That one is a question mark. Got any of your fancy pants, know it answers for that one?"

"Nope, guess I'm just going to have to find out," he said plunging his hand into the box. As soon as he did he began screaming as something pulled him from the inside.

"Help it's got me!" he cried.

My eyes went wide as I tried frantically to help him get his hand out. It wouldn't budge.

"Oh my God, I'm going to call the police!" I screamed shakily pulling out my phone.

He began to laugh. "Just kidding," he said pulling his hand out of the box easily.

"You jerk!" I cried shoving him hard.

"Come on it was only a joke," he pleaded as I stormed through the darkness and fake fog. I couldn't see where I was going and easily got lost in the maze. There were creepy glow in the dark blood splatters, paintings that turned from a person to a skeleton, gravestones, creepy old dolls and skulls lined the walls. I kept going and after a minute noticed that Dimitri was no longer behind me.

"Whatever, good riddance," I muttered. I reached a dead end and was beginning to get frustrated. How big could it possibly be down here? Then I remembered then that Mia's dad owned a construction company and they had dug out a basement that spanned underneath their entire property which was about a half an acre. No wonder I was lost.

I started walking in the other direction when I felt something grab at my legs. I screamed bloody murder and broke out into a run which wasn't easy in my heels. I kept running blindly until I collided with something warm.

"Oh Dimitri, I'm so glad I found yo….," I trailed off as I looked at the man in front of me. It was definitely not Dimitri. It was a man wearing a Jason mask and holding a chainsaw which roared to life as he pulled the cord. He let out an evil laugh as he advanced towards me.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhh!" I screamed and ran in the opposite direction tears flying down my cheeks. This party was so not fun anymore. Where was everyone else and why couldn't I find the exit to this crazy thing. I ran until my lungs were ready to burst and I hit yet another warm body. I screamed and thrashed as he grabbed me.

"Get off you creep!" I cried out struggling.

"Roza, it's okay. It's me," Dimitri's soft voice soothed me. I looked up and met his warm brown eyes.

"Where did you go? Why did you leave me?" I asked pounding on his chest.

"I'm sorry. When you walked off I couldn't find you. I must have taken a wrong turn. I heard you screaming, but I couldn't get to you. It's like a maze in there. Are you okay?" he asked cupping my face in his hands, worry in his eyes.

I nodded feeling really stupid. It was just a fake haunted house. I was such a pathetic loser for getting so freaked out. It took me a few seconds to register his warm hands on my face. I could feel his hot breath as we were only inches apart. The sexual tension between us could have been cut with a knife. Before I knew what I was doing I leaned in towards him licking my lips. His hands rested on my hips as he met me halfway. Our lips were only millimeters away from touching and my heart was thundering in my chest.

"Rose there you are. I've been looking for you all night," Lissa's voice suddenly interrupted us. We jumped apart guiltily standing on opposite ends of Lissa.

"Did I just interrupt something?" she whispered as we headed back upstairs.

"Yes, you cockblocker!" I hissed.

**Hehe they almost kissed! It is true that two blue eyed parents can have brown eyed children and so one and so forth. Did you know that most babies are born with blue eyes and their eyes can change color up to age three? I didn't, but hey you learn something new every day. So do you think he'll ever figure it out? **


	14. Chapter 14: Teenage Angst

**Chapter 14: Teenage Angst **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

DPOV

"Damn," I swore under my breath as Rose walked into the house followed by Adrian. If I wasn't mistaken she was dressed as Marilyn Monroe. Her dress was extremely low cut and she had gone braless. Kill me now, I thought biting my fist to keep from growling like a feral beast. Most people came dressed as couples and I had to laugh at Christian dressed up like Prince Charming. Lissa really had his balls in her pocket. I shuddered at the thought of what I would do for Rose if we were dating. I knew for a fact that I would never be able to deny her anything she desired even if it made me look like a fool.

I had a hard time thinking of a costume and there weren't many good options for someone my height. All the costumes had been too short or extremely unflattering like the jolly green giant or some elf guy named buddy. Lissa had come up with the suggestion that I go as James Dean some movie actor that all girls dug. It was an easy costume and as much as I shouldn't, I wanted Rose to be attracted to me.

She and Adrian got some punch that I knew was spiked and then headed in the direction of where I was standing. Just as Lissa said her eyes widened as she appraised my costume. I could tell she was hot for me. I smirked at Adrian over my shoulder and he rolled his eyes as he made a snarky comment leaving me alone with Rose. Although my brain was screaming that I shouldn't be allowing myself to be this close to her, I couldn't help it. I was oddly drawn to her and just for one night I wanted to let loose and have some fun. It was exhausting constantly worrying about whether or not I was giving her the wrong idea. The truth was that I was sending her the wrong signals either way. If I acted normal and pretended I didn't care for her that way I was lying to her and to myself. If I showed my true feelings and allowed her to see how much I really cared for her then I was leading her on because there was no way we could ever be together. I wanted to pound my head on the wall just thinking about the complications she caused me on a daily basis.

I decided to relax and enjoy the evening with her and worry about the consequences tomorrow. I followed her down the stairs to the haunted house. She was so cute acting all brave, but I knew better. All girls liked to have a guy to cling to at these things. I guess I underestimated her sense of humor because after I played a trick on her she stormed off. Somehow I got separated from her in the dark. I continued to walk through the maze unaffected by the childish decorations that is until I heard the buzz of a chainsaw and Rose shrieking. I still had no idea where she was, but I could hear her heels clicking on the floor as she ran. A few seconds later she smacked right into me and began to scream and thrash.

I held her tearstained face in my hands as she slowly calmed down. It was then that I realized just how close our bodies were and my hand unconsciously moved from her cheeks to her hips. Our lips were about to touch in what I'm sure would have been a very torrid kiss judging from the sexual tension hanging in the air when Lissa interrupted us. As disappointed as I was not to have kissed her senseless like my body so desperately longed for, I was relieved at not having made that mistake. I'd let a little harmless fun escalate into a situation I should not have allowed us to be in. I cursed myself as we returned to the party. How in the hell was I going to survive the next however many months I was here? The thought of not being with her drove me insane.

I pounded my head against the wall of the deserted hallway.

"What is wrong with me?" I groaned tugging on my ponytail.

"You're in love with a girl you can't have," Adrian's voice startled me out of my self-loathing.

"What are you doing here?" I was so not in the mood to deal with him right now.

"Drinking away my sorrows," he said passing me his flask.

I shook my head.

"Oh come on. You deserve one night off. You know you need it after what just happened down there," he coaxed waving the flask in front of me. I grabbed it out of his hand and downed half of what was inside. Thankfully it was strong.

"How did you know what happened?"

"You didn't think you were the only two people down there did you?"

"What do you mean? I didn't see anyone?"

"Mia has video cameras stationed to capture people's reactions. There are computer screens all over the house that are projecting a constant stream of video. The whole house saw the two of you almost kiss," he said with a smirk.

"That's just great," I muttered putting my head in my hands.

I avoided Rose for the rest of the night realizing what a cad that made me, but I had work to do and so far I was not doing what I came here for. It was now the first week of November and it was starting to get chilly and I realized I didn't have a winter jacket. I had my duster, but that wouldn't do in a high school something about concealing weaponry or something. The Dragomir's had offered to lend me the use of one of their vehicles anytime I wanted so I decided that since it was Sunday I would take a trip to the mall to buy a winter coat. After last night's fiasco at Mia's Halloween party there was a huge buzz all over Facebook about our near kiss.

I decided the best place to find a coat would be at a department store so I pulled into the parking lot of a store called Macy's. After trying on several different jackets I decided on one that was brown and had a warm inner lining. It was not long like my duster, but it would have to do. I sighed as I walked up to the counter to make my purchase.

"Hi Dimitri," a feminine voice greeted me as I approached the check stand. I looked up and was pleasantly surprised to find Jill standing behind the counter.

"I wasn't aware you worked here," I told her as she removed the security device from my coat.

"Yea some of us have to work for our pocket money and to save for college," she grumbled most likely referring to the Dragomir's lavish lifestyle.

"Yes, I worked to earn enough money for this trip," I told her. It wasn't a total lie. I was being paid to be here.

She blushed. "This is a nice coat." She rang it up and placed it in a paper shopping bag.

"That will be sixty-four twenty-one." I almost handed her my credit card, but stopped myself thinking that if she asked me for my driver's license she would see my real age. I thought the better of it and took some cash out of my wallet instead.

"So uh, I saw what happened with you and Rose last night. Are you guys like a thing?" she asked quietly as my receipt printed out. I didn't know what to say so I didn't say anything for a moment.

"I mean it's just that you seem like you really like her sometimes, but then you go out with all these other girls and ignore her and well I guess what I'm trying to say is that Rose is my friend and she's a really nice girl. She seems tough on the outside, but her skin isn't as thick as she wants you to believe. You have sort of a reputation around school and I don't want to see her get hurt."

I smiled. I was glad that Rose had such a good friend looking out for her. Jill was a very sweet girl and I was sad to rule her out of my list after her birth certificate checked out. It turns out that she was biologically related to her mother and her father had adopted her when he married her mother.

"I know what it must look like and all I can really tell you is that it is complicated. I never want to do anything to hurt Rose. I care about her a lot."

"I really hope you mean what you said about not hurting her because after what she went through with Jesse, she deserves to have someone good in her life."

"I agree," I told her grabbing my bag.

"See you at school tomorrow." I waved as I exited the store. I felt even worse about what I had almost let happen last night. I had to be resolved in the fact that I had to stay away from Rose at all costs even if she hated me for it. Tomorrow I was going to renew my status as the school man whore and hit on another one of the girls on my list. It was better that she hate me now then I let this go any further. It would only cause more damage. So tomorrow at school as hard as it would be, I was going to ignore Rose. God help me I'm going to hell.

RPOV

I went home from Mia's floating on cloud nine. Dimitri had almost kissed me. I was mad at Lissa for interrupting, but hey there was always tomorrow or so I thought. I allowed myself to have pleasant dreams of Dimitri and I doing very dirty things all weekend. When I arrived at school on Monday instead of sitting at our usual table like he did every other morning Dimitri was on the other end of the cafeteria flirting shamelessly with Natalia Flores.

"I'm sorry Rose, I really thought that this time he liked you," Lissa said trying to make me feel better.

"Whatever, his loss," I said trying to act like it didn't bother me. That worked until the bell rang after homeroom and I had to sit behind him in English. I kept waiting for him to turn around and talk to me, but he sat the entire class with his back to me totally denying my existence. After class he booked it out of the room so fast you'd think I had leprosy or some other communicable disease. He didn't sit with us at lunch either.

I watched as he picked out a smaller table and invited Natalia to sit with him. I left the cafeteria early not bothering to finish my lunch and ended up ditching gym class to cry in the girl's locker room. What the hell was wrong with me? I never cried over boys. I hadn't even cried when Jesse told the whole school what a prude I was last year. Why did it irk me so much that he wasn't interested in me? The biggest question was why was I letting him play with my heart like this? Duh, Rose you're in love with him, I scolded myself.

After school of course I was called to Kirova's office along with my father. I hated to keep embarrassing him like this especially while he was at work, but I just couldn't go to gym looking like a hot mess after crying all day.

"What's going on?" my father asked breathlessly as he entered the room. He must have sprinted all the way from his room when he heard the announcement over the PA.

"What's going on is that Rosalie skipped PE today," Kirova announced in a voice that said she'd be all too pleased to punish me.

"Rose, why would you ditch PE?" my father turned to me studying my reaction. His face softened a bit when he took in my appearance. I must have looked a sight. I'd been crying like a baby all afternoon and my eyes were swollen and bloodshot and my mascara had run.

I shrugged. "I'm a bad kid, that's what we do." He looked at me skeptically.

"Can I have a minute alone with my daughter Ellen?" he asked. She nodded and pointed to the mediation room on the other side of her office. I followed my dad in there sullenly sinking down into a chair crossing my arms.

"Rose what's going on with you?" he asked closing the door behind him so we had some privacy.

"Nothing, I just didn't feel like going," I maintained.

"You know I don't believe that for a second. Maybe I would if you'd ditched Math or English, but you never ditch PE. You love that class." He was right and I knew I'd have to say something, but I didn't want him to know about Dimitri so I decided to do what I usually do when I want to avoid talking about something. I got angry.

"You know what! I'm tired of everyone presuming that just because I like to run and I'm Captain of the Cross Country team that I can't hate gym class. What does it matter why I ditched. Just let Kirova punish me and be done with it!" I cried.

"I can't let it go Rose. It matters to me. I know there's something you're not telling me," he insisted placing his hand on my shoulder. I shook him off violently.

"Yea well I'm a teenager. Get used to not being in the know!" I snapped grabbing my book bag as I stormed from the room.

I ended up with a week's worth of detention which meant I would be late to practice and that made my coach really unhappy. She was so pissed she suspended me from next weekend's meet. It's not like I cared. Dimitri was hanging all over Natalia at practice anyways. It gave me an excuse to get out of witnessing them together. Damn him and his jackass behavior. He was ruining my last few weeks on the team.

Later that night I heard my parents arguing after I was supposed to be in my room sleeping. I crept to the edge of the stairs and listened in.

"I don't know Oksana. She's never snapped at me like that before. Do you think it has to do with the whole driver's license thing?"

"I'm pretty sure from what Tasha was whining about on the phone earlier that it has to do with a boy, a certain Russian exchange student to be exact," she said. Damn Tasha for ratting me out. She's probably seen all the comments online. Why did my life have to be such an open book?

"I hope that's it because I'm not sure how much more I can take. You know she's turning eighteen soon."

"Hush, we still have some time to figure things out. Let's go to bed. I don't want you stressing about this all night." The light in the kitchen flicked off and that was my cue to scurry back to my room before I was found out. I wondered briefly what my father was so stressed out about. I was a little too preoccupied wallowing over Dimitri to think too much about it though.

**So that's the first we've heard from the Ozera's. We'll hear a little more from them coming up soon and Tasha will definitely be coming back to cause trouble. Sorry to disappoint, but this will be my last update until after Monday. I really need to get a chapter of The Next Nine Months up and then I will be on holiday Sunday and Monday at Shaffer Lake with my family so I won't have my computer. I will update as usual on Tuesday! Please review=) Enjoy your three day weekend if you have one!**


	15. Chapter 15: Fall Ball

**Chapter 15: Fall Ball**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

The next few days were the worst. I went to school suffered through English and PE and then went to detention.

"Hey there little cupcake what did you do to deserve detention?" Adrian asked as I planted myself in the back of the room.

"Ditched PE," I grumbled. "What are you in for?"

"Smoking on campus," he said.

"I should have figured."

"You going to the Fall Ball?" he asked after detention was over.

"Ugh," I groaned having entirely forgotten about the Fall Ball coming up.

"No date huh? Belikov back to being an ass?" I nodded allowing him to put his arm around my shoulder.

"You should get a date to make him jealous," he suggested.

"Why bother. He's not interested."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," he responded cryptically.

"Well no one has asked me so I doubt I'll be going. Are you going?"

"Sure, I'm always up for a good party. I'm going stag. I want people to think I'm too much of a lady's man to pick just one date," he said lighting up a cigarette the minute we exited the building.

"Didn't you just spend an hour in detention for that?" I scoffed. He shrugged.

"So how is Avery?" I asked trying to make small talk. Adrian really was one of my best friends these days. My other friends were so busy planning out the rest of their lives with their significant others and I was tired of hearing about Eddie this and Christian that ugh!

"She's doing well. Her semester is on the same schedule as ours so she's been pretty busy with midterms for the past week or so. I haven't gotten to talk to her much, but we try to skype whenever possible." He sounded a little distant when he spoke about her and I could see the sadness in his eyes. He must really miss her. I couldn't imagine being this far away from someone I loved that much.

"You really miss her don't you?" I asked. He nodded.  
>"She was my best friend since childhood and now she's the love of my life."<p>

"Are you going to go home and see her for the holidays?"

He shook his head. "Maybe, but I'm not sure yet." I felt really bad for him.

"Tell me more about her," I pried.

"Well she's a little older than me. She attends university. She's studying to be a teacher. She loves children. She had black hair and gray eyes. She's quite tall." His eyes sparkled as she spoke of her. I could feel the love in his voice as he described how and where they first met and how their friendship slowly developed into a romance over a long period of time and how they became inseparable when he was ten and his family had a tragedy.

"So what was this horrible event that changed your life when you were ten?" I knew I was being nosy, but I couldn't help myself.

He sighed heavily. "It's a long story. I don't like to talk too much about it. Avery helped me through it and that is why I am standing here today. She's my rock," he said flicking his cigarette out the window. We had been parked in front of my house for a few minutes now. I didn't push him. I figured if he wanted to tell me he'd tell me.

"See you at school." I waved and ran up the walkway into the house.

"Rosie, there you are. I was wondering what was taking you so long." Uh oh, I thought as I saw both of my parents sitting at the kitchen table waiting for me. This could not be good.

"Please save the intervention," I groaned turning around swiftly in a feeble attempt at avoidance.

"Sit!" my mother commanded. I sighed tossing my book bag on the ground dropping down into a chair. I hated when they doubled teamed. It wasn't fair.

"Do you want to talk about what's been making you so ornery lately? You're acting unlike yourself. You've cut classes, you've been crying, and you don't even seem to care that you've been suspended from your track meet this weekend." It was my father who spoke. His voice was calm, but laced with worry.

"It's nothing. Why can't you just let it go?"

"Rose we're just worried is all. Is this about that Belikov boy?" my mother asked.

"Why does everyone have to meddle in my life? So what if it is about him. I don't want to talk about it."

"Rose, it's okay to be disappointed when a boy you like doesn't return your feelings, but it's another to allow it to control your life." I slammed my head on the table loudly.

"If I say I'm sorry will you let me go upstairs?"

"We don't want an apology Rose. That isn't what this is about. We love you and it isn't healthy for you to be so upset. You're a beautiful girl and if a guy isn't interested then he's blind and stupid," my father said.

"Maybe I'm just a magnet for losers. All of my friends have boyfriends and I keep getting stuck with the jerks. What is it about me that they don't like?" I moaned.

"Oh Rosie, there's nothing wrong with you. Boys at this age are just fickle. When the time is right, you'll meet the right person, but for now just remember that you're our little flower and we love you." My mother kissed my forehead before signaling that I could get up from the table.

"Dinner is in an hour. Get your homework done and no more ditching!"

I went upstairs feeling even worse than I had before.

"Still moping over Belikov?" Christian snorted as I passed his bedroom door.

"Leave me alone. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit," I growled.

"Seriously Rose, the guy isn't worth it. You see how he treats girls. He's been out with at least a half a dozen since the school year started. You can do better than that," he said actually sounding sincere.

"Thanks, but that doesn't help me with the Fall Ball now does it?"

"You're not going with Adrian?" he asked confused.

"He has a girlfriend for the last time!" I cried in exasperation. "Besides he's not my type."

"Too much of a drunk?" he snarked.

"No, just I dunno. I feel like he's more of a really good guy friend almost brotherly."

"Hey that's my job," he growled seeming hurt by my words.

"Hey no one could ever replace you Sparky. Blood is thicker than water," I punched his shoulder lightly before heading to my room.

"Yea well don't forget that," he called after me. If I wasn't mistaken, he was a little jealous of my relationship with Adrian.

DPOV

It was Wednesday and I was lying in bed awake for the third night in a row. I couldn't help picturing the look of hurt that had been on Rose's face Monday morning when she saw me flirting with yet another girl. It took everything in me not to turn around to face her in English and confess everything right then and there. She didn't deserve what I was doing to her and it was killing me to see how much I was hurting her. I was kicking myself for not having had enough self-control to just stay far away from her from the very beginning. I was acting like the teenager I was supposed to be pretending to be.

She cut gym on Monday. One of the girls in our class told Ms. Petrov that she'd heard someone sobbing in the locker room. I watched through the glass as Kirova scolded Rose and her father was called in. He took her into the private meeting room and I could hear her muffled shouts from outside. She stormed out and he followed shortly after with a perplexed look on his face.

Andree had confronted me later that evening at home.

"Dude, why are you playing with Rose? She's like a sister to me. If you don't like her then leave her alone for God's sake." His words were like knives cutting through my chest. I did like her in fact I was pretty sure I was head over heels in love with her and that is why I had to stay away from her. I tossed and turned all night.

The next day I got to English early just to catch a glimpse of her as she walked in. She wouldn't even look at me. She looked really good too. She was wearing tight jeans and an orange sweater that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair hung loose and she was wearing just a hint of the perfume that drove me wild.

Sitting in class was extremely painful. I could smell her behind me and I could hear the tapping of her pencil as she worked on her test. The bell rang and before I could gather my books, a tall athletic boy about six inches shorter than me approached Rose's desk.

"So uh, hey Rose, how's it going?" he asked nervously clearing his throat. I pretended to look for something in my bag so I could purposely overhear their conversation.

"Oh hey Aaron. I'm okay. How are you? It's been a long time. I hear you were staying with your grandmother for a while. How is she?"

"She's doing better. She had a hip replacement so I stayed with her for a while to help her get around. My mom can't always be there because of work so it made more sense for me to submit my homework online so I could be there for her during the day."

"That was nice of you. I'm glad to hear she's doing well."

"So uh, I know it's only a little over a week away and I know you probably had a hundred guys ask already, but I heard you weren't dating Jesse anymore and I thought maybe you would want to go to the Fall Ball with me," he asked. My blood began to boil as I awaited her response.

"Uh I don't know if I'm even going. I don't really have a dress or anything," she said softly.

"Oh," he said disappointed. He had obviously taken her comment as a rejection.

"But I guess it would be fun. I can find something to wear. I'm sure Lissa will help me out," she said accepting his invitation.

"Really? You'll go with me?" he asked sounding rather enthused. The pencil I was gripping in my hand snapped in two. I couldn't believe she'd agreed to go with him. Then again I deserved to suffer watching her be happy with another guy.

"Yes, I'd love to," she agreed. By this time other students were filing into the classroom and I was about to be late for my next class.

"Here let me get those for you," he said scooping Rose's books off her desk and carrying them for her.

"You still in locker 117?" he asked.

"Yep." I watched in envy as he walked her out of the classroom to her locker. Why was I even jealous? He seemed like a nice guy. She wanted to go with him. Ugh! I want her to go with me. Fuck my life!

Later that day I decided to rejoin the lunch table. I had been sitting with Natalia for the past several days and after securing a date to the Fall Ball with her I decided to rejoin my friends or the people I hoped were still going to be friendly towards me. I set my tray down in my usual spot and to my dismay received a dirty look from everyone at the table.

"You're really going to sit here?" Mia scoffed glaring at me.

"Uh, well yes, I thought we were friends," I said looking for confirmation to the rest of the table. All the guys looked down at their plates suddenly finding their food very interesting. Jill and Sydney remained quiet, but Lissa did not.

"Uh that's before we knew what a man whore you were. You can go back and sit with your skank of the week," she spat. This was not good. Andree had already lit into me and now sweet little Lissa was speaking her peace. I hadn't meant to alienate my host family. It would cause far too much trouble. I didn't want them to get fed up and send me home.

"Yea, do it now before my sister gets here and you make her feel even worse." I could tell Christian wanted to slug me and I didn't blame him. If someone was dissing Viktoria I'd definitely make them suffer.

I stood up in shock. I shouldn't have been so surprised. They were Rose's friends and they were trying to be good to her. I was about to leave when Rose showed up with that boy Aaron trailing behind her.

"Hey guys what's going on?" she asked setting her tray down. She must have noticed the tension in the air.

"Dimitri was just leaving," Lissa growled with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, why?" she asked.

"We didn't think you'd want him here so we told him to leave," Mia hissed under her breath.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Guys seriously, are we in junior high? Dimitri sit down." I did as she commanded, thankful that she wasn't holding a grudge, but a little disappointed at the same time because that meant she was moving on.

"You guys know Aaron," she said and they all welcomed him to our table. After a few minutes of him making googly eyes at Rose and her smiling back at him playing footsy under the table, I was wishing I was sitting elsewhere. It was maddening to see him fawning all over her like that. I knew I couldn't be with her, but that didn't stop me from hating him for being able to give her what I couldn't.

The worst was when he announced to the table that after years of pining for her he'd finally gotten the courage to ask her to the fall ball and she'd said yes. Lissa squealed and immediately suggested they all go shopping together for their dresses.

"Uh Liss, I think I might just try and find something in my closet," Rose said trying to tone down Lissa's excitement.

"No Rose, you can't wear something you've already worn. It's tacky." The rest of the table with the exception of Jill and Christian nodded in agreement.

"Yea, I guess you're right," she said picking at her pasta. I felt bad because I knew she didn't have the funds to shop the way her friends did and I felt terrible that they didn't seem to see that. Later that evening I was trying to think of a solution to Rose's dress problem. Even though I was entirely jealous that she wouldn't be dancing in my arms all evening, I wanted to ensure that she had a good time.

A thought hit me. Rose was just about the same size as my youngest sister Viktoria. Her bust size was slightly bigger, but with stretchy material it wouldn't make too much of a difference.

I opened up my computer and accessed the internet. Luckily my sister was online. I knew it was the middle of the night in Baia, but I needed a favor from her so I decided not to scold her.

_~Hey Vika, I need a favor. _

_~Okay Dimka what is it? _

_~Do you still have that dress you wore to the junior formal last year? _

_~Yes, I think so._

_~Great! Can you go to the post office and overnight it to me in the morning?_

_~You want to wear my dress?_

_~No silly, I want to lend it to a friend._

_~Well I better get to see a picture of this girl you've become so taken with. Especially if you're lending her my dress. It was expensive you know._

_~Don't worry. I will make sure you get it back in one piece._

_~Does that mean you won't be ripping it off of her?_

_~Vika boundaries!_

_~Okay okay Dimka. I will mail it tomorrow. Give me the address. _

_~I love you Vika. Tell Mama I'll call soon and thank you._

I sent her the Dragomir's address and signed off. Sleep eluded me again that night as I kept picturing that Aaron guy with his hands all over my beautiful Roza.

**Enter a man for Rose…. Whatever will Dimitri do? How much do you hate me now?**

**Take my new pole regarding The Search for Rosemarie Mazur on my profile!**


	16. Chapter 16: Heart in Chains

**Chapter 16: Heart in Chains**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

I couldn't believe I had agreed to go to the fall ball with Aaron. I mean sure he was cute and funny and really nice, but I didn't want to give him the wrong idea after he'd all but admitted he had a huge crush on me since forever. What's done is done though and I'd already agreed to go. I wasn't going to back out. That would not be nice. I didn't' want to hurt him. I knew first-hand what it was like to have genuine feelings for someone and for them to treat you like yesterday's garbage.

It was sweet of my friends to try and alienate Dimitri showing me they were on my side, but I figured what was the use. He'd never made promises. I was just a silly girl reading into an almost kiss. The fact was he was living with the Dragomirs and like it or not we would have to interact with him. It didn't seem right to hold a huge grudge. That just wasn't my style. It's not like he'd done to me what Jesse did. We were caught up in the moment and almost kissed. It was just a misunderstanding. Yes, my ego was a little bruised, but still it wasn't worth being childish and mean. He'd always been nice to me other than that.

I cringed when Lissa suggested shopping for dresses for the dance. I seriously doubted that I would be able to afford a pair of socks from the stores they were going to look in. Sometimes I wondered if all of them were completely unaware that not everyone had an unlimited allowance.

Just as I suspected there wasn't a single dress I could afford in the entire store.

"Oh Rose this one is so pretty, you should try it on!" Mia cried.

I had already canvassed all the price tags and knew that the dress she was holding cost two hundred and eighty dollars.

"I don't think that one would look good on Rose. It's more Sydney's style," Jill piped in saving me the embarrassment. I think she was the only one who understood the value of the dollar.

Needless to say we left the mall and everyone but me had found their dress.

When we got home from the mall the guys were all sitting down in the home theater watching Mission Impossible something or another.

Christian gave me a small smile knowing I wasn't in the best of moods. Dimitri was looking at me as well. It was odd to find him here. I figured he would be out with Natalia or someone else. I'd heard that he'd asked her to the dance. I couldn't figure him out. He dated all of these girls, but without forming any sort of emotional attachment. I wondered if he was sleeping with all of them. I quickly scratched that thought because on second thought, I really didn't want to know.

"Hey Little Cupcake, I have something for you," Adrian said. I was surprised to see him here as well. Usually if I wasn't around, he didn't bother. He didn't really socialize well with others. Plus he wasn't allowed to smoke in the house. Lissa's mom had a fit over the cigarette smoke he left at the pool party.

"Follow me," he beckoned and I followed him up the stairs.

"I thought you might be able to use this," he said handing me a garment bag. I opened the zipper revealing a short black cocktail dress. It was a halter with rhinestones along the top and had a silky pleated skirt that fell just above the knee. There was a hot pink sash that tied in a pretty bow around the waist.

"Wow it's really beautiful. Where did it come from?" I asked ready to scold him if he'd gone out and bought it for me.

"It was Avery's senior dance dress," he said. "I had her send it over. You two are about the same size and I thought you'd look good in it," he said.

"You really are the best friend a girl could have," I told him throwing my arms around him.

"Don't thank me too much," he muttered.

Soon it was the night of the fall ball and we were all going to get ready at Lissa's.

"Make sure to have Lila take pictures for me," my mother called as Christian and I rushed out of the house with our stuff.

"I don't know why," I grumbled as I sat in the passenger seat. My parents were not very big on taking photos. I mean I guess it was because of the fire in the old house, but still. When Christian and I were five and Tasha was nine our house had an electrical fire and burned to the ground in the middle of the night. Christian and I had been so traumatized by it that we don't remember much before we moved to our new house even though we were nearly six and seven years old at the time.

All the family photos and belongings had been charred to the point of no return. After that you'd think that they would have taken some pictures of us, but sadly the only real family photo we have is from two years ago at an awards ceremony for my dad. There were a few randoms of Christian and I at eighth grade graduation and Tasha's high school graduation and such, but none to really speak of. Most of the photos I had on my facebook were of me and Lissa and the rest of our friends. I had burned all the pictures of me and Jesse.

Speaking of skanks I wondered if he was going to bring Natalie to the dance. They didn't really seem like the school function kind of couple. After sitting through what seemed like hours of Lissa and Mia poking and prodding and curling and spritzing it was time to get dressed.

"Wow," Mia wolf whistled at me as she took in my dress."That is gorgeous. Where did you get it?" It would sound funny if I told them it was Adrian's girlfriend's dress so I lied.

"I found it at a resale shop."

"Well it fits you like a glove," Sydney stated.

"Do you really think it looks good?" I asked.

"Look in the mirror. Aaron is going to have a heart attack when he sees you," Lissa squealed. I smiled at the thought and secretly wished that it would be Dimitri who couldn't keep his eyes off of me all night instead. I wanted him to know exactly what he was missing by dating all of those other phonies.

The boys were downstairs waiting for us and Lissa insisted we had to make a grand entrance so she'd instructed her father to video us coming down the stairs one by one. I of course was last and I couldn't mistake the look on Aaron's face as well as the rest of the guys when I made my appearance. Sadly Dimitri was not there. He must have already left to pick up his date.

"Wow, you look amazing," Aaron said stepping forward to place a pink orchid corsage on my wrist.

"Thank you," I told him glad that I had worn my sexy black stilettos. They complimented my dress nicely, but also gave me a height boost. Aaron was a little over six feet and I didn't want to look like a midget next to him. Come to think of it, all my friends were on the tall side with the exception of Sydney and myself. She was very petit at five four next to Andree's six three frame. Lissa's mom took a lot of pictures promising to e-mail them to all of our parents.

Lissa had rented us a limousine of course and I gasped when I realized that it was a hummer limo.

"This is going to be awesome!" Mia cried dragging Eddie behind her.

DPOV

"Did she buy it?"

"Hook, line and sinker," he said blowing out a puff of smoke.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that those things will kill you?"

"You don't say," he responded taking another drag and blowing smoke circles in my face.

"I don't see why you didn't just give her the dress yourself. That would have earned you points after all the dick headed moves you've been making."

"For the last time, I'm trying to stay away from her. She's a child!" How many damn times did I have to tell him that Rose and I couldn't be together?

"Who are you trying to convince me or yourself? You want her so bad it hurts. She'll be eighteen at the end of March," he said flicking his cigarette to the ground.

"It doesn't matter. As soon as I find Rosemarie I will be returning to Russia, hopefully taking a break from work and spending time with my family."

"Take her with you. She can go to college in Russia," he suggested.

"Right and after she finds out why I'm here she'll hate me."

"Who says she finds out?"

"Oh come on, the girl isn't daft. It'll be all over the six o'clock news if I find your sister."

"It sure as hell better not be!" he growled throwing me a nasty look.

"You're being paid to be discreet. If my sister is harmed in any way because of your stupidity or arrogance so help me I'll make sure you pay," he menaced stepping forward. He was only around six two, but still he had muscle to him. I found it incredibly hard to believe that he spent any time in the gym though. I doubted that he was every sober enough to lift weights.

"Relax, I'm doing the best I can. I really think I'm onto something with this Natalia girl. Her background is shady and her birth certificate is nowhere to be found. I've got a few favors in and I'm trying to get her adoption records. She could be the one," I told him hopeful that I was correct and that this nightmare would be over with as soon as possible. I did hate the thought that when this was over, I would probably never see Rose again.

"I'm supposed to meet her adoptive parents tonight when I pick her up for the ball. I'll clue you in once we get there." As much as I was dedicated to my work, a part of me was annoyed that I wasn't going to be able to ride with everyone else to the ball. In truth, I just wanted to get a good look at Rose in the dress and make sure Aaron kept his paws to himself. Man did I need therapy.

I could hear the girls giggling and playing loud music in Lissa's suite as I donned a suit and tie and slicked my hair back into a tight pony tail at the nape of my neck. I splashed on a little of the cologne that I had caught Rose smelling on me on more than one occasion, stuffed my wallet, phone and keys into my pocket and headed out the door.

Meeting her parents was a bust. I couldn't tell one way or the other whether or not they were faking it. They seemed like a perfectly decent family asking about my life in Russia, my place on the cross country team and how I was liking America so far. They snapped about a hundred photos and told me that I was to have their daughter home by midnight. They seemed normal.

"You look nice," I complimented my date. I didn't really want to be doing this, but I felt that it was her senior dance and I wasn't going to wreck it for her one because it wouldn't be nice and two because if she was Mazur's daughter, he'd have my head for treating her poorly.

We arrived just as the limousine that Lissa had rented showed up. I watched in anticipation as each couple exited the vehicle. Rose of course was the last one out and just the sight of her took my breath away. The dress fit her perfectly and she'd complimented it with a very tasteful shimmery black scarf wrap. I flinched as she put her hand into Aaron's outstretched one so he could help her out of the car.

"Hey Dimitri, Natalia," Andree greeted.

"You all look very nice," I complimented the girls. They were my friends after all." I felt Rose's eyes on me and I couldn't help but meet her gaze. My breath caught in my throat. Her dark hair was swept to one side and tumbled down her shoulders in waves of shiny curls. She wore glittery eye shadow that made her eyes look even bigger than usual.

"So uh don't you think we should go inside?" my date interrupted me clearing her throat loudly causing Rose and I to break eye contact.

"Yes, we should," I responded giving her what I considered my most dashing smile offering her my arm as we led the way inside.

It was just as I'd expected. High school dances were the same everywhere. There were a few tables set up here and there, a small table that held cookies and punch, a youth friendly DJ, disco lights and stars and moons hung from the ceiling with the theme of "Starry Night".

"Typical," I muttered.

"So are we actually going to dance or are you going to sit around here all night pining away for Rosalie Ozera?" Natalia asked hands on her hips.

"What?" I asked entirely shocked at her question.

"Oh don't even try and deny it. The entire night you've been ogling her with your fists clenched. You're totally jealous that Aaron Karpov has his hands all over her." Was I really that obvious? I mean I had been glancing at them from time to time, but I would hardly call it staring.

"So if you're so into her, why don't you just ask her out? I mean we all heard about your almost kiss on Halloween," she asked pulling up a chair beside me. We weren't the only ones sitting, but the only ones of our group or my group. The rest were out cutting a rug to some Lady Gaga song.

"It's a long story. We're just not compatible," I told her not wanting to get into it, but not wanting to argue with her when she was clearly right.

"Well let's make the best of this anyways. Maybe she'll be jealous that you're dancing with me," she said pulling me to my feet and forcing me out onto the dance floor. The song had changed and the lyrics to Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake boomed through the speakers.

I had no idea how to dance to this sort of music. The hits of the eighties and country were much more my style. My eyes widened as my date began grinding herself on me placing my hands on her hips. I didn't know what else to do so I just went with it. As we continued to dance dirty my eyes perused the dance floor finally locating Rose and Aaron. They were in much the same position as we were right now only his hands did not stay on her hips, they were roaming up and down her body nearly reaching places that were not appropriate. What really caused my heart to ache was that she looked happy.

I growled a little as I continued to glare at them. I could vaguely make out Adrian's figure standing against the wall flask in hand. The bastard was laughing at me. If I could just get my hands around his neck for one minute and squeeze I would take the opportunity.

The music changed and a slow ballad began to play. All of the couples began to sway to the music. I sighed as I watched forlornly as another man put his hands all over my Roza. Oh boy when did I start calling her my Roza? I did the gentlemanly thing and put my hands gently around Natalia's waist and swayed in time to the music as well. This was so going to be the night from hell.

**Ah so there was a fire! How does that fit in? Poor Dimka watching Aaron paw at his woman. Just wait until next chapter. He's going to wish he told her he loved her=) Review or Aaron and Rose will have unprotected sex and we all know what that leads to=) Aren't I sweet? **


	17. Chapter 17: Groping in the Moonlight

**Chapter 17: Groping in the Moonlight**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

I had to smile at the fact that Dimitri looked like he was having a really bad night. The best part was that he couldn't take his eyes off me. Mission accomplished or so I thought. He was not paying very much attention to his own date. My date on the other hand was driving me a little nuts. He was all touchy feely. Rose can I hold your hand? Can I get you some punch? Let me rub your shoulders. Ugh! He was actually being really sweet, but all I could think about when we were dancing is that I wished it was Dimtiri's washboard abs that I was grinding up against and I wished it were Dimitri's strong arms around me as we slow danced to what we would someday call our song. Sadly, I didn't fathom that I'd be dancing with him anytime soon.

I tried to keep a smile plastered on my face and to keep my groans on the inside as we moved slowly to the sounds of David Cook's Time of Your Life. It was a really beautiful song, but I just couldn't get into it knowing I would rather be in someone else's arms.

"Hey Little Cupcake, can I cut in?" I sighed in relief grateful for the interruption. Aaron gracefully allowed Adrian to step in knowing that we were good friends.

"Thank you so much for the rescue," I said allowing him to twirl me around to the swing music that was playing.

"You looked melancholy. What's the matter? You aren't still smitten with a certain Russian are you?" he tisked.

"No," I defended myself.

"Right, I so believe you," he said rolling his eyes.

"Okay fine, I can't help it. I don't know what it is about him, but I really can't stop thinking about him," I admitted. "He's like an addictive drug. One dose and I'm starving for more."

"You two are seriously driving me crazy," he muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just wish you'd hurry up and shag already so the rest of us don't have to watch you crash and burn for the millionth time."

"He doesn't like me that way," I huffed.

"Right and that's why he's been ignoring his date who is smoking hot by the way, to drool over you all night."

"You're just trying to make me feel better," I argued.

"Believe what you want. I'm trying to help you."

After Adrian and I danced, Christian practically knocked him over insisting that I should dance with him. He could be so sweet when he wanted to be.

"What's your problem? You practically killed Adrian just to dance with your annoying little sister. Are you feeling okay?" I laughed putting my hand on his forehead.

"What, I don't like the guy. He says he has a girlfriend, yet he lends you a dress and hangs around you all the time. I don't buy it. He wants something. I'm wise to his shenanigans."

"Geez you act like he's out to get you," I told him as we danced awkwardly. He wasn't very coordinated. Adrian and I had been graceful, but my doofy brother kept stepping on my feet.

"I just don't want you to get too comfortable with him. He seems a little shady and he's always drunk and smoking those repugnant cigarettes. I don't want him to corrupt you. I saw you two come out of detention together every day this week."

"Aww it's so sweet that you're worried about me, but you don't have to be. I'll be fine," I said pinching his cheek. He grimaced hating the fact that I was patronizing him.

They began playing faster music again and all hopes of Dimitri asking me to dance were shot to hell well Aaron asked if I'd like to go out into the courtyard where it was a little more secluded.

I didn't really want to, but I figured what the hell. It's not like anyone else was vying for my attention. I may as well give him a fair shot. He was really a nice guy.

We sat down on a small bench overlooking the fountain.  
>"So uh, are you having a good time?" he asked nervously. He reached over to grab my hand and his palms were wet with perspiration.<p>

"Actually, I am," I told him smiling. He looked really excited when I said that.

"So maybe you'd want to you know go out you know like for pizza or something or to a movie," he stammered. Uh oh, he was asking me on a real date. It was one thing to go to a school dance with someone, but a date where we would be alone was a whole other ball game.

"Well I'm pretty busy with cross country the next week or so, but yea that would be nice," I agreed not wanting to give up on him right away. Sure, I would much prefer if Dimitri would ask me out, but since there was no chance of that happening, I figured what harm could it do?

"So how about next Sunday? Maybe we could get lunch and walk around the zoo or something," he suggested eager to lock me into some plans. It was kind of cute when I thought about it.

"Uh, sure, I just have to make sure it's okay with my parents, but it shouldn't be a problem," I agreed.

He smiled widely and before I knew what was happening he'd put his hand on my shoulder, leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. To my surprise, the feeling of his lips on mine wasn't repulsive. He was actually a pretty good kisser and when I didn't pull away immediately, he took that as the sign to go ahead and put his other hand on the small of my back deepening our kiss

Just for a minute I let go of my inhibitions and allowed myself to make believe that it was Dimitri who was kissing me. As he moved his hands over my body I couldn't help but wonder that if it felt this good when Aaron did it, would I spontaneously combust if Dimitri touched me this way? After all Aaron and I had absolutely no chemistry, but from the first time our hands touched the day we met, I knew that Dimitri and I would make fireworks if we ever came together.

"That was really nice," he breathed pulling away so we could catch our breath. I was still a little in shock, but I nodded robotically in agreement unable to shake the image of Dimitri and I naked in his bed.

DPOV

"I'm going to go to the restroom," Natalia announced. I could tell she was a little annoyed with me, but was trying to make the best of it. She really was a nice girl, but I couldn't get Rose out of my head. Why on earth I had procured Viktoria's dress for her was beyond my comprehension. She looked like a goddess put just out of my grasp like one of those elusive fairies that were meant to torture assholes like me. It was like there was a big sign flashing over her head that read look, but don't touch. I decided that I needed a little fresh air and strolled towards the courtyard.

My eyes bugged out of my head as I caught sight of Aaron groping Rose and sticking his tongue down her throat. My fists were clenched at my sides and fury was shooting through my veins. How dare he touch her like that? She was supposed to be mine.

"Woah there easy tiger!" I whirled around to the smug face of Adrian Ivashkov.

"Looks like someone's lost their chance," he mused leaning against the wall.

"I never had any chance. It's not meant to be," I muttered wishing I truly believed that.

"Sure and that's why you're out here spying on her making out with another guy looking like you want to go ten rounds in a ring with him."

"What is it you want?" I growled.

"Just wondering how your research on Natalia is going."

I groaned. "Not well. Everything seems to be in order, but I am still waiting on a birth certificate."

"It's not her," he said taking a cigarette out of his pocket.

"How do you know that?"

"She's got that weird birthmark on her neck. My sister didn't have that."

"Well it would have been nice to know that before I went through all the trouble."

"You didn't want my help remember?" he shot back.

"Whatever," I muttered stalking back to the gym. I should be glad she found a nice guy. She deserved to be happy. I was too old for her and I would be leaving after the mission was accomplished. I tried to remind myself to focus on my mission. Find Rosemarie Mazur. Why did being here with her make me want to quit my job and enroll as a full time high school student just to be with the object of my affection? The response to that is I was suffering from temporary insanity. Yes that was it. I would have to try harder to separate my personal life from my undercover assignment.

After the dance was over we all went out for Pizza which was a euphemism for making out with your date in a booth in the back room of the pizza parlor.

I watched in utter disgust as Rose allowed Aaron to continue to stick his tongue down her throat. Adrian pulled out a stash of mini bottles from the inside pocket of his coat and began pouring drinks. I glared at him for providing liquor to underage kids. He smirked as he poured an extra shot in Rose's glass just to floor me.

"I think they need a little help," he whispered winking at me.

"Why don't you just rent them a hotel room?" I growled earning an eye roll from my date.

"You know two can play that game," she purred in my ear. She slid her hand up my thigh and it took everything I had not to jump out of my seat alerting everyone in the restaurant of our compromising position.

"If it's all the same to you I'd prefer not to make a spectacle of myself in public," I hissed removing her hand from my leg gently, but firmly.

"Geez you really are no fun," she huffed.

"I'm sorry," I apologized yet again for my behavior.

"It's okay. It was either go to the dance with you or go with my cousin. At least this way people won't think I'm a loser. All the girls were dying for you to ask them," she said twirling her straw around in her cup.

I resisted the urge to pound my head on the table in frustration grabbing my coke that was now laced with Captain Morgan and downing it swiftly in one gulp. I put my glass down and was met with a pair of deep brown eyes staring at me in fascination. I was surprised she could tear her lips away from Aaron long enough to see what I was doing.

"What?" I asked now that everyone was staring at me.

"I'm from Russia. This is hardly strong," I said brushing it off.

Amateurs, I groaned internally.

"So I'll see you on Sunday then?" Aaron confirmed as he and Rose made their goodbyes at the door to the Ozera's along with Lissa and Christian. I was listening in on purpose. We'd originally driven to the dance, but had joined the others in the limousine to accompany them to the restaurant. It was a good thing too because I needed two more shots to get through the rest of dinner so I wouldn't jump over the table and throttle Aaron to death.

"Yea, sounds like fun," she said enthusiastically.

"Goodnight," he said and I almost vomited at the sight of him pressing her up against the doorway his hands resting on her hips as he kissed her goodnight.

"You're in love with her?" Sydney mused as we sat in the vehicle waiting for Lissa and Aaron to return.

The rest of the crowd was fiddling with the stereo system and were not paying any attention to our conversation.

"Don't deny it," she hissed. "I've seen the way you look at her. What is with you and all those other girls? I know you're not sleeping with them."

I sat there in silence. What could I possibly say? If I refuted her statement she wouldn't believe me and if I confirmed it she would tell Rose. Luckily Lissa and Aaron returned before the silence became too awkward. She didn't broach the subject again, although she did scrutinize me closely for the rest of the ride home.

**Uh oh Sydney has found out that he love Rose! Also could this be the start of a beautiful relationship between Rose and Aaron? Don't worry they weren't out there making babies. I wouldn't do that to you? Have a little faith=) Please review and you can be Dimitri's next conquest=)**


	18. Chapter 18: Turkey Day

**Chapter 18: Turkey Day**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

DPOV

The next few weeks passed in a blur and soon it was Thanksgiving. The Dragomirs were hosting and since most of their family was out of town the guest list was short. I'd never experienced an American Thanksgiving and was actually looking forward to the tradition. I hadn't gotten much further with my work. I still had eight girls to go and things were not looking good. I was beginning to wonder if those other PI's were right in assuming that she was dead. I didn't want that to be true so I tried feeling out other scenarios in which she dropped Rose off somewhere between Istanbul and Portland, but the trail was completely dry. I'd searched every record of every flight from Istanbul and the surrounding airports for a three week period after they disappeared and came up with nothing.

It was a futile effort because I'd already known from Abe's disclosures that neither of them had their passports on them. Abe had them locked up in a safe and they were still in there to this very day. He'd even gone as far as to show them to me.

So if they hadn't boarded a plane then they must have driven towards water. The only thing I could think of was the possibility that they boarded an ocean liner or a cruise headed for the states and stowed away. In my free time, I'd been going through grainy video footage for every cruise that left Turkey that week.

"This is useless. They could have gone any number of directions. They could have gone North to Bulgaria or Romania or South to Greece. The possibilities are endless!" I growled throwing down my notepad.

"Please don't give up. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help you. I have a huge trust fund and I'll pay anything," Adrian pleaded. It was touching how much he cared for his sister, but I wanted to remind him that money couldn't solve everything.

"It's not about the money," I told him. "I want to help you. I mean of course I need a paycheck, I have to support myself, but this was never about the money. I want to find your sister and I'm not giving up," I told him honestly.

"You're not half bad Belikov," he said cracking open a beer. It was the day before Thanksgiving and the house was all hustle and bustle with Lucy making side dishes and pies. I thought it best to make myself scarce and welcomed the invitation from Adrian to come to his Aunt's place where we wouldn't have to hide our identity and we would be free to sift through our research without worrying about someone busting in on us.

"You want one?" he asked.

"God yes," I told him. He tossed me an ice cold beer and I savored the taste as it slid down my throat.

"Sucks to be eighteen doesn't it?" he smirked.

"You have no idea. You live here free to be yourself while I'm stuck being the picture perfect exchange student to they don't send me packing," I grunted.

"Nah that doesn't bother you. You're just all hot and bothered because you haven't gotten any in a while. We should go out tonight and find you a lady friend. I can be your wing man," he offered. I grimaced as I thought of my good friend Ivan.

"I think I've had enough dating for my entire life thank you," I said declining his offer taking another swig of my beer.

"You mean you want to stay home and hope Rose adds you on facebook," he snorted.

"If you weren't Mazur's son, I'd have killed you by now," I growled.

"So where are you going for Thanksgiving?" I asked desperate to change the subject. I hated that the bastard was right about my reasons for not going out. I could definitely use a little distraction, but I didn't feel right about sleeping with some random girl just to forget about Rose. Despite what people might think about me right now, I wasn't the type to sleep around. I'd only ever slept with one woman and I realized when I broke it off that it had been a mistake. Women became extremely emotionally attached to men they were sleeping with and I wasn't in love with her, but she was in love with me. I hated that I misled her into thinking it was something more. She'd been devastated when I ended it.

"Funny you should ask. My Auntie and I have been invited to the Ozera's so I shall be dining with lover girl," he said smirking. I sighed in frustration and then formed a smirk of my own.

"Are you jealous?" he teased no doubt wanting to rub it in my face that he would be spending the holiday with Rose. Well it wasn't going to work.

"Oh no, jealous isn't the word, lucky is the word man. You have fun avoiding Tasha all night."

The look on his face was priceless. "No amount of money or time with Rose would make me envy you tomorrow." Now who's laughing?

RPOV

"Rose can you get me some more flour?" my mother asked. It was eight am on Thanksgiving day and we were doing our usual Ozera family tradition. Mom and I were in the kitchen elbow deep in turkey guts and fresh pumpkin with the TV turned to the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. We liked to listen while we cooked. Dad was outside chopping wood for the fire and Tasha was lazing around in her pajamas pretending to study to get out of helping. In truth, I didn't really mind. She was a nuisance in the kitchen and really got on my nerves moaning and groaning about how gross it was to clean and stuff the bird and cut up the giblets for the stuffing. What a wuss! Sometimes I couldn't believe she was my sister.

"Mom is Christian going to be okay?" I asked. Last night he'd had one of his bad nights as I liked to refer to them as. He had hyperanemia and occasionally had bouts of sickness, usually when he lost blood. Last night he'd been playing football with Mason, Eddie and Andree when he missed a pass and it had hit him square in the face breaking his nose and causing him to lose a lot of blood. Thankfully they'd been in our backyard and Mom was able to get to him in time to stop the bleeding, but after that he'd gone into one of his episodes. He had intense tachycardia, extreme fatigue and weakness in all his muscles. Mom had kept watch over him until well into the night and Tasha and I sat up with him until around three. It was the one time Tasha and I called a cease fire and banded together to help our brother.

"He's going to be tired, but he'll be okay. We'll call him down when the company gets here. It was sweet of you and your sister to stay up there with him last night. He really loves you two you know."

I nodded. "I just hate seeing him like that. It scares me," I admitted softly.

"I know it does sweetheart, but he's strong. All of us Ozera's are. He's going to be just fine. You know once he smells the pumpkin pie he'll be in here in a flash," she chuckled. I knew she was right. Christian usually wanted to help with the pies just so he knew the minute they were done. Mom always let him sneak a piece before dinner.

True to form as soon as the pies were out of the oven Christian came wandering into the kitchen in his pajamas. He was still ghostly pale, but his face perked up as I sliced into the fresh out of the oven pie cutting him a little bigger piece than usual and slathered it with whipped cream.

"Thanks Rosie," he said mussing my hair affectionately.

"You feeling better?" I asked. He nodded sitting down on a stool at the island digging into his pie.

"Mmmm, I love the way you make these," he moaned licking his fork clean. I smiled at the look of pure jealousy on Tasha's face.

"Hey you know I couldn't help because I had to study," she whined. Christian and I both rolled our eyes. The only thing she'd been studying is the frat boys on her facebook page.

"So I hear Adrian is coming for dinner with his Aunt," she crooned. "He's really cute, but not as cute as Dimitri. It's a shame he's not coming, but I guess I'll have to settle for second best," she sighed propping her elbows up on the counter.

"You're delusional Tasha. Adrian has a girlfriend and Dimitri is so not falling for your fake charm. He's too smart for that," I spat.

"Rose, you're so cute when you're angry," she said pinching my cheek.

"Woah, you're really filling out there. You should lay off the pie," she snorted cutting a piece for herself and digging in.

"You're just jealous because unlike you I don't still wear a training bra." The words were out of my mouth before I even had a chance to think.

"Go back to the orphanage we found you in!" she screeched shoving her stool back and lunging over the counter at me.

"Natasha Ozera! You take that back right now and apologize to your sister. Start behaving like the respectful young woman we've raised you to be." My father rarely raised his voice, but when he did you obeyed.

"I'm sorry Rose," she said grudgingly letting go of my hair which she had been about to pull. I had never been so thankful for my father's interruption. Last time she'd actually ripped a chunk of my hair out. I'd spent months hiding my bald spot. At least she'd gotten grounded from the car for a month though. That was funny.

"Rose, you know you're not innocent in this. You need to make your apologies as well," he said sternly.

"Sorry," I grunted. Christian sat there wide eyed stuffing pie into his mouth not wanting to get in the middle of our fight.

"That's more like it. Now all of you upstairs to change and get ready for our guests!" We did as we were told and scurried upstairs.

Oksana POV

"Mark this is getting out of control. Tasha's jealousy of Rose is not getting any better. Did you hear what she said? She nearly blew our lives apart down there," I cried exasperated. The kids were upstairs getting ready and I'd pulled my husband out into the shed for one of our talks. They'd been happening more and more frequently as of late.

He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration.

"I know that it's been increasingly tense between them as they've become older, but Tasha knows better than that. She's not going to say anything. She knows what's at stake. You know older sisters constantly tease their younger siblings about being adopted and such. No one would take it seriously. Do you know how many times I told my sister she was raised by wolves when she was a child? I'm going to have a long talk with her before she goes back to school. Things cannot continue like this. She needs to know that regardless of blood ties we love all of them equally. Rose is a part of this family and she's just going to have to live with that."

"I hope so, but you know she resents Rose and it's only become worse since we sent her away to school."  
>"You know we had no choice. She was unbearable. It wasn't fair to anyone that she stayed here making the rest of us miserable. I've tried time and again to reason with her, but she just won't listen. She has always seen Rose as a threat because of how far we've gone to cover our tracks," he said. I couldn't help but wonder if we'd made the right choice all those years ago. It seemed as if we were always waiting for the other shoe to drop.<p>

"How are we going to avoid letting her get her license or a job or anything else that requires the proper paperwork? She's going to be eighteen soon. Mark, I'm so worried." I leaned my head on his shoulder and he held me close rubbing my back in comfort.

"We've made it this far. We'll make things work like always. I've got a guy I think I can trust working on some high tech forged documents. I just need more time."

"You know if she finds out she'll hate us," I whispered tearfully. "Christian too." That was my worst fear, that the secrets and lies would tear our family apart someday.

"Oksana, we had no choice. It was life and death. We made the best choice for her at the time. I won't apologize for it. She's my daughter for Christ's sake. Nothing will change that!" His voice held such confidence that for now at least I was reassured that things would work out in the end.

**Haha How do you think Adrian will fair against Tasha at dinner? Now we know that Tasha knows what happened. Do you think she'll be the one to spill? All reviewers get a piece of Pumpkin pie with a hot Russian on top=)**


	19. Chapter 19: Sibling Rivalry

**Chapter 19: Sibling Rivalry**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

"Okay so you all know what today is?" Lissa asked loudly. I had no idea how she could be this bright eyed and bushy tailed so early the day after Thanksgiving.

"Black Friday," we chorused methodically.

"I can't hear you!" she shouted.

"Black Friday," we yelled back.

"Okay then. Here's the plan. It's two hours to the mall so that puts us there at six. We'll shop the early bird sales first and then hit the eatery. After we'll finish up with anywhere we missed and end up back here by six o'clock. Got it? Now synchronize your phones. Rose, Christian, Dimitri, Mia and Eddie, you'll be with me. Jill, Mason, Andree, Sydney you'll ride with Joseph."

"What about me?" Adrian asked coming up the walkway.

"Uh you can ride with them," she said pointing to the other car. I gave him quick wave. He gave me a small forced smile and waved back at me. I wondered what was wrong with him? He seemed fine yesterday at dinner except for being utterly annoyed by my trampy sister. I'm surprised he didn't knock her out cold for the stunt she pulled.

Flashback

_We were all sitting around the table and mom had just brought out the dessert. The adults were chatting up a storm leaving us kids at our own table to ourselves. So far things had been going smoothly. Tasha had of course been monopolizing Adrian's attention much to his and my dislike. He was being polite and answering her pointless questions pretending to be interested in her mindless drivel. I had to hand it to him, the man had class. He certainly hadn't been raised in a barn like it seemed my sister had been. _

"_So Adrian, my little sister here says you have a girlfriend at home. How far away is she?"_

"_Well she's going to school in Paris right now." He looked entirely uncomfortable at her line of questioning._

"_Well you know what they say, what happens in another zip code stays in another zip code," she said, grabbing his tie with her hand pulling him in closer. She whispered something in his ear that caused him to stand abruptly from the table knocking over his apple cider in the process spilling it all over his pants. _

"_Oh I'm so sorry," she purred. "Let me get that for you." She then proceeded to use her napkin to begin dabbing the stain on his pants right over his crotch. His eyes widened as she copped a feel on his member. _

"_If you'll excuse me. I need to go to the restroom and clean up," he growled under his breath physically removing her hands from his groin. He scurried out of the room like his ass was on fire. _

"_What the hell is your problem?" I hissed at my sister. "He has a girlfriend. How much more of a whore can you be?" _

"_Listen little sister. Stay out of things you don't understand. You're a virgin for God's sake," she started laughing at me. _

"_Tasha that's enough," Christian warned._

"_Oh so she can call me a whore, but I can't make a true statement about her without getting my head bitten off? Why do you always take her side? Everyone always takes poor little Rosie's side. Well you know what not me!" she cried grabbing the gravy boat and acting like she was going to walk it to the sink. Instead she fake tripped dumping hot gravy down my sweater and all in my hair. _

"_Hot!" I cried jumping up clawing at my sweater. _

"_Tasha, what were you thinking? You could have burned her!" Christian yelled coming to my defense as I scurried from the room tugging my sweater over my head and throwing it on the living room floor. _

"_Are you okay?" Christian asked coming up behind me. I assessed the damage noticing a large red patch on my chest and all down my stomach from where the gravy had burned me. _

"_I'm fine!" I insisted resisting the urge to cry. Why did she always have to humiliate me like that?_

"_Rose, what happened?" my mother asked entering the room. _

"_Tasha said you spilled gravy. Are you okay?" she asked concerned when she saw the red blotches._

"_I guess I'm just clumsy," I told her holding back my anger._

"_She didn't spill it. Tasha dumped it on her on purpose," my brother said glaring at me for lying. I looked at him in awe. He had actually ratted her out. Most of the time he refused to take sides._

"_Is that true Rose?" my mother demanded. I nodded reluctantly. Usually Tasha would only get nastier if I tattled on her._

"_Mark, get in here and bring your daughter with you. Christian go get the ice packs." _

_My father and Tasha entered the living room and I felt entirely exposed standing here in my sports bra and skirt. _

"_Rosie what happened?" my father asked grabbing the icepack from Christian as he re-entered the room. _

"_Natasha?" my mother said glaring at her. _

"_It was an accident," she whined. "I didn't mean to spill it on her." _

"_If that's true then why did you lie about it and say she spilled on herself?"_

"_I uh," she sputtered not having a response._

"_Upstairs!" my father growled pointing at Tasha. _

"_But Daddy," she tried to argue._

"_Now!" he bellowed. She ran from the room with tears in her eyes._

"_Go get her cleaned up and I'll make sure our guests are comfortable," he told my mother. She laid the icepack on my burnt skin and it stung like a bitch._

"_It's okay, they're only first degree. You were lucky to get that sweater off before it soaked through all the way," she said helping me walk up the stairs to my room. _

_She was right and the redness faded overnight. It still stung a little in the shower this morning, but other than that I was fine. I heard my father yelling at Tasha after the company had left. It was the biggest blowout I think they'd ever had. I even heard him say that if she couldn't behave like a responsible adult then it would be better if she stayed away at school until she could learn._

_She in return had sobbed about how they loved me more than they loved her. She claimed I didn't deserve their love and it wasn't fair for me to get all the attention. She even went as far as to say that they should send me away instead of her because I didn't belong here. What a bitch! _

_My father didn't seem too happy about her comments and told her to watch her mouth and if she ever spoke of such things again she'd be sorry. She didn't say much after that. She gave me a few dirty looks before getting in her car and high tailing it back to school. _

_What the hell did she mean I didn't belong here? Maybe it was her that didn't belong here!_

_End Flashback_

"Are we ready?" Lissa asked bringing me back to the present. We all nodded dreading the day ahead of us.

"Why do we let her talk us into this?" Eddie groaned. He was sitting in the middle seat with Mia and Christian. Lissa sat up front with the driver furiously going over her lists she'd made on her I-Phone.

"Yes, this seems like madness getting up at three in the morning to go to the mall," Dimitri mused stifling a yawn beside me. It figures I'd get stuck sitting next to him. Why the hell did he have to smell so damn good?

"It's worse if we refuse. We tried that two years ago and she threw an absolute fit. Believe me it's just easier to humor her and suck it up for the day. Besides there really are some good deals and I could still use a few winter outfits. My parents had secured me a job for the holiday season. It wasn't a real job and I would be paid in cash, but still it would help me save for my senior trip as well as provide a little extra pocket money for clothes and things I needed. I started last week. The job was two-fold. For the first part of the evening I would watch people's children while they went Christmas shopping, then when they came home, I would wrap their gifts and address the tags making them look all fancy with pretty bows and trimmings and stuff.

It was pretty easy and it paid five dollars an hour per kid and minimum wage for the gift wrap. I'd already made over a hundred dollars last week. Most of the clients were teachers at the school or medical professionals that worked with my mom, but her friends were also using my service. It was sort of an odd way to make money, but hey I wasn't going to complain.

The cookie dough sale had ended last week and I did pretty well. In fact Miss Ivashkov bought twenty-eight tubs of chocolate chip cookie dough. She said she liked to bake and she was handing some out as gifts. Dimitri had also come up and asked if he could buy his from me. He said he wanted to send it home for the holidays to his family in Russia. He'd filled out a form sending ten tubs home and then buying another ten for gifts to his teachers, or so he said. I think he was secretly a cookie fiend behind the scenes. I just hoped that by gifts for his teachers he didn't mean for his random girlfriends. I wouldn't put it past him to start dating the teachers once he plowed through the rest of the crop.

My parents of course bought a few and some of the people from mom's work and some of my teachers, even Alto bough two. I wanted to ask if he was going to ask his mommy to bake him cookies to leave for Santa, but I didn't want to get expelled before Christmas. All together I sold seventy-two tubs and I made four dollars for every tub I sold so that earned me two hundred and eight-eight dollars towards my trip. I still had a long way to go and I didn't know how many magazine subscriptions I could get people to buy.

"Ugh can you please play something else?" I asked as Lissa sang cheerily along to the lyrics of Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.

"Oh come on Rose, don't be such a kill joy!" she called. I leaned my head up against the headrest. This was going to be a long ride.

"Roza wake up, we're here." Dimitri's voice roused me from the sleep I must have fallen into. I opened my eyes realizing that my face was snuggled in the crook of his neck. Ugh he was so warm and smelled so good, I never wanted to let him go.

"Hey Rose, it isn't polite to drool on the guest," Mia snarked turning around to stare nosily at us.

"If I wasn't so tired, I'd kick your ass," I menaced.

"Sorry," I smiled at Dimitri sheepishly wiping up the drool that had indeed started to seep out of my mouth and onto his coat.

"It's okay, you were tired," he said smiling warmly at me. Oh God be still my heart. Why oh why did he have to be so panty dropping gorgeous and polite to boot? He helped me out of the car offering me his hand. When we touched I swear I felt the same spark I'd felt the first time he kissed my hand the day we met. Looking at his face told me he'd felt it too.

"So where's Aaron your boyfriend?" Adrian asked making annoying kissing noises as he slung his arm around my shoulder.

"He's not my boyfriend," I groaned. I could have sworn Dimitri perked up as I said that.

"Anyways he's spending the holidays visiting his grandmother. We went to the zoo one time and he took me to Starbucks. I'd hardly call that dating."

"Well it's more than some people do with their dates." If I wasn't mistaken he looked directly at Dimitri when he said that. I snickered a little at his comment.

"So what's with you today? You seem upset. Are you missing Avery?" I asked Adrian as we waited in yet another long line.

"Well that's always a part of it, but no. Christmas is a hard time of the year for me," he admitted getting that far off look in his eyes like he had a few times before.

"Oh," I said. "Most people like Christmas," I said trying to spark him into talking to me. I mean he was one of my best friends and if he was sad, I wanted to help.

"Yea well at my house Christmas is like a death omen," he snorted. I furrowed my brow in frustration. Why was he being so cryptic?  
>He sighed heavily. "My mother died the week before Christmas. She was sick with Cancer," he said. My parents divorced when I was two and I lived mostly with her until I was six. That's when she got sick and I moved in with my father. She died shortly after," his voice was shaky and he looked a little green. I guess that is what he meant by Avery having been there for him through tough times. It must be hard for him to be away from her at this time of the year.<p>

"Oh Adrian, I'm so sorry," I told him sincerely. The rest of the group was still mulling around the store and we were holding their place in line. I put my arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Well it's best not to dwell on it. With enough eggnog I'm usually able to handle the holidays," he said trying to lighten the mood. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but resisted. I really hoped he would be alright.

I was desperate to change the subject to something less morbid so I decided to satisfy my curiosity from last night.

"What did my sister say to you to make you jump up and spill your cider last night?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm curious to that as well," Christian said coming up behind me with the rest of the crew in tow.

Adrian's face turned crimson. "Uh, you don't really want me to say it out loud in the middle of the mall do you?"

"Yes!" everyone agreed loudly. I mean it couldn't be that bad or that's what we were all thinking.

His eyes darted around to see that no one was paying attention to us before opening his mouth.

"She said that for twenty dollars she'd give me a blow job in my car," he said. The entire group went silent with our mouths agape. I for one was definitely not expecting that.

"Wow who'd have thought that after all these years of you calling her a whore, she would actually start charging?" Mia guffawed.

"Shhh Mia! That's my sister you're talking about!" I growled not really knowing why I bothered to defend her. I couldn't believe she'd do something like that, but then again one never knew what she did while she was away at school.

"Damn twenty bucks is cheap," Mason piped in.

"How would you know?" Jill asked accusingly. Well there was a fight waiting to happen.

I glanced over at Christian who looked like he was going to be ill.

"Hey are you okay?" I asked pulling him aside.

He shook his head. "I just can't believe it. I know she's a bitch and all, but seriously this takes the cake."

His voice took a serious tone as he grabbed my shoulders.

"Please promise me that you won't ever lower yourself to her level. You're such a good girl Rosie and I couldn't handle it if I ever found out that you let men use you like that," he said.

"Hey, you have nothing to worry about. Remember, I'm sister Mary Rose," I joked rolling my eyes.

"Good and you better keep it that way," he growled.

"So did you get everything you needed?" Dimitri asked as we were finally on our way home. He had disappeared for a bit while the rest of us were in the eatery.

"Pretty much. We have a rule in our house about gifts."

"What is that?"

"They have to be home made," I explained.

"I see. That's a very good rule. What types of things can you make?"

"Well I thought I'd make my mom and sister necklaces out of these really cool beads I found at a second hand store. All I had to do was get wire and clasps. I'll probably make one of those for Lissa, Mia, Sydney and Jill too!"

"That sounds like a very nice gift. What about for you father and brother?"

"Well for my brother, dad and I are working on a surprise. I can't tell you now in case he's eavesdropping." He nodded.

"For dad Christian and I were thinking about making him a birdfeeder. He's really into gardening and loves to bird watch. I'm not sure we're handy enough though, but there are tons of wood planks out behind the shed."

"If you want I can help you," he offered. "I made one of those for my grandmother a few years ago."

"That would be nice," I said relishing the thought of spending more time with him. Don't get sucked back in. I reminded myself. There was no harm in letting him be nice to me. I mean if he happened to trip and fall on my lips then it would be okay to kiss him right?

Ugh! Get your mind out of the gutter Rose!

CPOV

"What in the hell is wrong with you Tash? Rose is our sister. Why in the hell would you burn her like that?" I shouted at my older sister. I'd gone to her room after Dad was finished scolding her to confront her about her behavior. She'd done a lot of mean things including pushing Rose out of our tree house when we were eight causing her a concussion and a sprained wrist. I thought that as we got older she was mature a little. Apparently I was wrong.

She sighed. "Chrissy, you just don't get it. No one does. Ever since she came along everything in my life has gone to hell!"

"So you blame her for being born?" I asked incredulously. "That is hardly her fault. It was mom and dad's choice to have a third child. How can you blame her for that?"

"You just don't understand Christian. Things were perfect until she came along. You just don't remember," she muttered.

"How would you know you were four when she was born," I argued.

"Just leave it alone Christian." The harsh tone in her voice made me back off.

I didn't get why she was so hateful. Rose had never been mean to her or done anything to deserve the things Tasha had put her through.

I didn't get much else out of her before she booked it back to school.

I remember Tasha already hating Rose when we were seven. I don't remember much before that. There are just flashes here and there of different days. It was strange that Tasha remembered everything from before the fire, but neither Rose nor I could recall much of anything. I remember Rose waking up to nightmares of a red haired woman grabbing her. She had them over and over again for years. I'd always wondered what those dreams had to do with the fire. Mom said the mind works in mysterious ways.

I myself spent a lot of time in the emergency room as a child which could account for some of my memory loss, but still. Shouldn't they have taken us to a shrink or something? What were they hiding? Whatever Tasha's beef with Rose was it happened before we moved to our new house. I just wished I could remember. If something bad happened, I wanted to know about it and I was determined to find out.

**Well who would have thought Tasha really was a whore? So far Sydney has kept quiet, but that doesn't mean she will for long. Do you think Christian will keep digging for answers? I know a lot of people are waiting for Dimitri and Rose to be together, but I have a really good plan for that and it can't happen too fast. Certain things need to happen first so please stay with me. I promise that it will be worthwhile. In an upcoming chapter you'll see some Dimitri and Rose interaction and possibly some smoochies, but nothing big just yet. I've got epic plans. I promise=) Besides what's a good mystery without suspense?**


	20. Chapter 20: Bull's Eye

**Chapter 20: Bull's Eye**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

DPOV

Shopping was definitely not my favorite activity, however I did need to purchase a few things. It was a blessing and a curse that the only open seat in the car was next to Rose. About twenty minutes into the two hour ride she'd leaned her head back and had fallen asleep. Several minutes later we hit a bump and she did not wake up but her head was now resting on my shoulder.

I inhaled sharply as she snuggled in closer grasping my coat with her hands. She seemed content and although it was pure torture not to be able to tell her these things while she was awake, I stroked her hair softly while whispering my true feelings and apologies to her in Russian.

When she woke I thought she'd be angry at having fallen asleep on me, but instead she shrugged and apologized for drooling on my coat. I wanted to tell her that I preferred that she drool in my mouth instead, but that would hardly have been appropriate conversation. I did enjoy it when Adrian began to tease her about Aaron and she openly denied that he was her boyfriend. I wasn't quite sure why she was fighting being with him. He was actually a decent guy. I'd run a background check on him to make sure he was worthy of her. Much to my dismay he'd checked out. He was a football player who made decent grades and came from an upper middle class single parent family. He often took care of his elderly grandmother just as he had told Rose.

Finding out that Tasha had offered to service Adrian for twenty dollars hadn't surprised me in the least. The girl was a dirty whore and I felt terrible that Rose had to be around that sort of thing. I thanked God that the two of them were nothing alike.

While everyone else was eating I managed to sneak away from the group with the excuse that I needed to call home because of the time difference. In reality, I went off in search of a gift for Rose. I'd taken Jill aside a few days ago and asked her what types of things Rose would like. She was a little reluctant to tell me at first stating that I hadn't been very nice to her and buying a gift to make up for it made me a schmuck.

I finally convinced her that I was just being polite and getting something for everyone. She caved and told me Rose was really into cosmetics, but rarely had the cash to get any decent stuff. I'd ended up back at that department store called Macy's.

"Can I help you?" asked a woman around my mother's age?

"Well I'm looking for something for a girl who likes cosmetics," I told her.

"Okay, did you want to stick to a specific product or we have gift sets that come with a variety of products."

"A gift set would be nice," I told her.

"Okay is she warm or cool?"

"Well she doesn't seem to get cold easily so I'd say warm," I guessed.

She laughed. "No I meant does she wear warm colors or cool colors? Maybe she's a neutral. Do you have a photograph?"

"Oh," I said feeling dumb. My sisters would be laughing their asses off at me right now.

"Yea, I do have a picture," I said pulling out a photo that I'd snapped secretly with my phone at the Fall Ball. She was standing next to Lissa and they were both smiling as Christian took their picture.

"She's the one with dark hair," I told her.

"Well she's very beautiful. Let me see. Her complection is almost almond. She bustled about putting different things into a package for me.

"Do you have a price range you want to stay in?" she asked.

"Uh well nothing too over the top," I said not knowing what a kit like this should cost.

She nodded pulling a few more things together. After she was finished she showed it to me.

"I put in two shades of blush, four eyeshadows that compliment each other, two lip liners, two eyeliners, two lipsticks, two lip glosses, a moisturizer, mascara and some loose powder. Her skin is flawless so she shouldn't need a foundation. I also threw in a kit that has all the different brushes and things she will need to apply it. Would you like to put it in a case or take it like this?"

"Uh put it in a case."

"Well your wife or girlfriend is one lucky girl," she said winking at me. Oh how I wished Roza was my girlfriend.

I walked out of the store in awe. Who knew make up could cost so much. It was lucky I could use my credit card or I would have been up a creek.

After purchasing a few items for my mother, grandmother and sisters as well as token gifts for the rest of the girls as well as some nice things for the Dragomir's we all piled in the car for home.

Again I put my foot in my mouth and offered to help Rose build a bird feeder for her father. Making one would be easy as I had done it several times before, but being so close to her without being able to be with her would be the difficult part. I was a glutton for punishment.

RPOV

"Oh my God you will never guess what happened to me today?" Lissa cried. She had sent out a mass text telling us all to meet her at her house. It was Saturday afternoon and of course like always I had to rely on my brother for a ride.

"Well spit it out!" Mia griped.

"Well I was at the mall and someone approached me about being a model for Ella Brands. That includes all the best stores," she squealed.

"That's great Liss," I told her. Jill and Sydney congratulated her and Mia looked entirely bored.

"That's not the best part. I showed them pictures of all of my friends and they want Rose too!"

"Really?" I asked incredulously.

"Yea, they said they could use someone who looked exotic. They called you a desert princess!"

"They didn't want me?" Mia huffed.

"Sorry, they only mentioned Rose. So do you want to come? The audition is tonight? They're going to take photographs and send them out to their ad agencies and if they like them we might get modeling deals!"

"Sure I'm in!" I told her with enthusiasm. A modeling career sounded so much better than applying to colleges which I would be trying to do soon. With my mediocre GPA I'd be stuck living at home going to community college. I had it on pretty good authority that there would be no money for Christian and I to go to school and we'd have to get scholarships. Christian was pretty damn smart and would probably get a ton, but not me. I was not crazy about school and had no desire to spend four more years in a class room learning out of dusty books.

"Okay then all you need to do is take this waiver home and get it signed by your parents and we'll be all set. I'll pick you up at six."

"Good luck getting mom and dad to sign that thing," Christian snorted as we made our way inside the house.

"Sign what thing?" my mother asked. She was bustling around the kitchen getting dinner ready.

"Rose wants you to sign a form so she can go get her picture taken at the mall for some modeling agency," Christian said ratting me out first thing.

"Shut it Sparky!" I hissed. I had wanted to soften them up a bit first.

"Let me see," my mother commanded holding out her hand. She pulled her reading glasses from her apron pocket. Her face scrunched up as she scrutinized the papers.

"So can I?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I'll have to talk to your father," she said disappearing up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Christian asked as I scurried up the stairs after her.

"To listen at the door of course." Dude did he live under a rock or something? He of course followed me. I pressed my ear to their bedroom door which was closed.

"Well you can tell her no then Mark! I can't keep doing this. First her license, then she asks to get a job and be responsible and I tell her no to that. Who's going to tell her she can't go to college? Why don't we just smash all her dreams?" my mother cried.

"Do you think this is easy for me? I'm just trying to protect her. She's our daughter! I won't let anyone hurt her. Do you think it's a good idea to have her picture circulating all around town? She's seventeen for God's sake! She's got a nice body too. How do you know they're not going to convince her to do underwear ads? You know that's what they want her for!" my father roared.

"That's all we need is her picture floating around for anyone to see. We might as well put a bull's eye on her back!" he seethed.

Silent tears began rolling down my cheeks. I had never meant to start a fight between them. I knew it was too much to hope that something would go right for me for once. I guess I was right about college. There was no money and even if there was they wouldn't waste it on my lack of brains.

"Rosie, let's go," Christian urged grabbing my arm.

"Is that all I'm good for?" I sobbed. "Underwear ads?"

"No of course not. You know that's not what he meant. Come on let's get out of here before they come out and find us eavesdropping," he said steering me away. I spent the next half hour trying to make it look like I wasn't crying and was failing miserably when my father knocked on the door.

"Rosie, you in there?" he asked.

"Yea, Dad, just give me a minute," I called giving my face a once over in the mirror. I looked tired, but managed to cover up the puffiness with a really good concealer Lissa had given me a while back. Once I deemed myself presentable, I opened the door.

"Can we talk?" he asked. I motioned for him to come inside. He sat down on the edge of my bed and I sat crossed legged a few feet away.

"Your mother and I talked and we think it's best that you don't go with Lissa tonight. These so called modeling agencies are not always what they seem and I don't want them getting their hands on photos of you. It just isn't safe. There are a lot of weirdos out there ready and willing to take advantage of pretty girls like you and Lissa. I also called Eric Dragomir to voice my concerns about how they might sexually exploit young girls and he agreed it was best that Lissa not go either," he told me patting my knee.

I took a deep breath, but didn't say anything. Deep down I knew he was right, but if I couldn't do this and college was out of the question, where was my future going?

"We did however think that since you've been working so hard and kept your grades up to C or higher that we'll pick up the rest of the tab for your senior trip," he stated.

"Really?" I asked afraid I'd misheard him. He nodded.

"I know it seems like we are unfair sometimes and that we're forbidding you from doing things to be mean, but we really do have your best interest at heart. You have to understand that if something were to happen to you, it would devastate us. You're our daughter and we love you," he said.

"Besides it's a parent's job to make their teenager's lives miserable," he joked.

"Now if you're up for it your mother's made a really nice slab of ribs down there and I think that we might be able to con her into getting ice cream after," he said smiling at me tentatively.

"I love you Daddy," I told him throwing my arms around him burying my face in his neck like I used to when I was a child.

"Lissa's going to be so pissed at me," I groaned.

"She'll get over it," he said. I highly doubted that as I had already received three angry texts and a voicemail.

CPOV

I walked away from Rose's room more confused than ever. What the hell did he mean they would be putting a bull's eye on her back? I get that no one wanted her exposed and vulnerable or taken advantage of, but still, the way he made it sound so dire. It was really freaking me out. Between Tasha's cryptic words and now mom and dad arguing over something so minor. I wasn't so sure that the two weren't connected. The question was what were they hiding and did Tasha know what it was? What did it have to do with Rose and how did that all fit in with our memory loss? My head was beginning to ache from all the unanswered questions. One of these days I was going to overhear the right conversation and then I'd figure out what was going on once and for all.

**Well now Christian is really suspicious. Isn't it sweet for Dimitri to get a present for Rose? What did he mean by putting a bull's eye on her back? So many questions for you to review=) The next chapter of The Next nine Months will be up within the next day or so. Please review or I might forget to post tomorrow=(**


	21. Chapter 21: He Loves YouNot?

**Chapter 21: He Loves You….Not?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

Two days later Lissa was speaking to me again because Christian had lit into her about how he didn't want pictures of his girlfriend or his sister all over billboards and in magazines for other men to drool over. She'd grudgingly agreed that maybe my dad was right.

It was lunch time and we were all sitting at a table together.

"Hey babe," Aaron greeted me planting a kiss on my cheek before sliding into the seat next to me. He'd been gone since Thanksgiving when his grandmother had taken a turn for the worse and he had to stay and help out. He'd been calling me and I wasn't doing as good a job as I would have liked at avoiding him.

"Hey," I said noticing the pissed off look on Dimitri's face as he took note of Aaron's arm around my shoulder.

"So we're having our annual Christmas party on the twelfth. Everyone is coming right?" Lissa asked. It was only December fourth and she was already hounding us for our RSPV.

"Yes we all received your overly cute holiday invites," Sydney said picking at her salad.

"I don't know why you bother sending them when you know we're all coming," Jill said rolling her eyes.

"Hey, they were really cute," Lissa defended herself. Besides what's the fun of having a party without sending formal invites?" Everyone at the table snickered which earned us a dirty look in return.

"So it's winter wonderland themed and I got a karaoke machine. It's going to be a blast."

"Yea Rose what are you singing this year?"

DPOV

We were all sitting around the lunch table and I was giving Aaron the stink eye without even knowing it.

"Hey, lay off or she's going to catch on that you're in love with her," Adrian snorted next to me. Sydney was also giving me a knowing look. So far she had kept her mouth shut, but I didn't know for how long.

"Shove off," I growled trying to force my glare away from the seemingly happy couple.

"Don't worry she's not into him," he whispered.

"How do you know?"  
>"Duh, you can tell by the way she flinched when he kissed her cheek. She's so not interested. Poor guy doesn't know how to take a hint."<p>

"So Rose what are you singing this year?" Mia asked. I had zoned out and vaguely recongnized that they were talking about the upcoming Dragomir Christmas party for which the preparations had already begun.

"I don't know. Whatever tickles my fancy," she said with a grin.

"You sing?" I asked.

"A little," she said.

"She's got a set of pipes on her!" Eddie contributed.

"She sure does. I'm so jealous. I'm entirely tone deaf," Mia complained.

"You sure are," Sydney agreed and everyone laughed.

"Hey," she whined. "That's not nice."

"Neither is listening to you sing," Andree added playfully. Well whatever the case, I wouldn't mind hearing her sing.

I'd decided that in lieu of asking yet another girl out and making things worse for myself, I would go the DNA route. I had been steadily collecting samples for the past few days and had all but three of the ones I needed.

I had a free period at the end of the day today because Mr. Nagy was out sick with the flu so I decided to use this opportunity to covertly infiltrate the girls locker room where I knew Wendy Larson would keep her hair brush.

I thought I was being sly, but realized soon after that I was not going to make it in and out without being caught.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" I turned around to find Sydney standing in a towel and a shower cap scowling at me. She'd caught me red handed breaking into Wendy's gym locker. I was in the middle of fishing out her hairbrush when she caught me.

I had to think fast. I didn't want her to think I was a thief and report me. It was a good thing I'd had years of practice sweet talking my way out of sticky situations. I grabbed an item out of the bag.

"I was just returning something she left in my car the other night," I told her holding up a pair of black lacy panties. Her eyes widened as she took in the item in my hand and the cocky grin on my face.

"You're a pig!" she cried in disgust. "Get out of here before I report you." Oh yes Rose was definitely going to hear about this. Sydney looked beyond pissed. Any chance at salvaging my reputation with her was surely going to fly right out the window at three o'clock today.

"No problem, I was just leaving," I told her putting the panties back grabbing the hair sample at the same time. I slammed the locker closed and vacated as fast as I could, feeling Sydney's eyes burning angrily into the back of my head.

"Did you get the samples?" Abe asked. I'd called him the minute I'd gotten home. I had ordered DNA sample testing kits online and was busy labeling each package.

"Yes, now all I need is a sample from you," I told him.

"Just send them all in a package to me and I will take care of the rest. How many do you have?"

"I have four out of the eight. I was temporarily interrupted and I don't know when I'll be able to procure the rest, but this should give us some good leads." I hoped it was one of them. I was getting nervous that none of the eight girls would be a match and then I would be back to square one or worse she really was dead. Before taking this case I should have weighed the pros and cons of what Abe would do to me if I didn't find her or worse yet if I told him that I'd found her remains.

"How is my son behaving himself? He's not interfering with your work is he?"

"No, in fact he's been rather helpful."

"Just be careful with him. He's my son and I love him, but the death of his mother and then Rosemarie's disapearance have taken their toll on his psyche. Both instances happened around this time of year and he generally gets pretty down. He isn't always the most stable person as it is and he's been away from his therapist several months now. What's worse is that Avery is so far away. I wish he would just come home and let you work, but he won't hear of it. He thinks that you're close and refuses to see reason. I'm thinking of sending Avery over the holidays to keep an eye on him."

"Maybe that would be best, but so far he seems to be holding up," I said defending Adrian. I never thought I would, but the man had been through a lot and despite his drinking and chain smoking, he seemed to be okay. He was utterly annoying, but seemed stable enough.

"Well if the rest of them don't pan out then I'm going to come out there myself," he said. I was so not looking forward to that. Abe Mazur was generally harmless, but very conspicuous. Having him around would only make my job that much harder. Thankfully I would have at least six weeks to work on things on this end before those DNA results came back.

RPOV

"So remember the party starts at seven. I think you guys should all come over and get ready early say around three?" Lissa said. We were all in her car on the way to get our nails done.

"Who needs four hours to get ready?" Jill muttered?

"Uh I do," Mia said causing Sydney and I to snort.

"Hey don't laugh. Rose what are you wearing?" Lissa asked in a very serious tone.

"Uh this gold dress that I found at the mall on black Friday. It was on clearance. It's gold with sequins."

"Ooh you should borrow my gold pumps," Mia squealed. "I love gold, but I can't pull it off as well as you."

"You should get your nails to match," Sydney suggested as we sat down at the manicure table side by side. They always cleared the place out when Lissa brought her entourage in as they commonly referred to us as.

"We're all getting mani-pedis right?" Lissa asked for confirmation.

"Uh, I think I'll just do a manicure," I told her sifting through the cash in my wallet.

"Get both, I'm going to owe you a pedicure after what I'm about to tell you," Sydney said with a grim look on her face.

I selected shad of shimmery gold polish for both my fingers and toes handing it to the young Adonis that was working on my nails. His name tag said Ambrose.

"So what is it you're going to tell me?" I asked Sydney. She looked a little green taking a deep breath before speaking.

"For a while I thought Dimitri was in love with you. I confronted him the night of the Fall Ball in the Limo when I caught him glaring at you and Aaron with his fists clenched. He practically admitted it to me."

My heart fluttered in my chest and a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

"I knew it!" Lissa cried having been eavesdropping.

"Knew what?" Mia asked her ears perking up at the juicy piece of gossip.

"Dimitri's in love with Rose!" Lissa gushed. Everyone cheered and added that they too had known it all along. I felt like I was finally going to have my happily ever after. He hadn't even been with any other girls since Natalia and that was over a month ago.

"Wait, don't get too excited," Sydney warned.

"What why?" I asked feeling that there was a catch to him admitting he was in love with me.

"This afternoon during eighth period I caught him breaking into Wendy's gym locker in the girl's locker room."

"Okay and that means?" I asked quizzically as the rest of the girls hung on Sydney's every word.

"When I asked him what he was doing he told me quite cockily that he was just returning something she left in his car the weekend before."

"So what's wrong with that?" I asked.

A blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks as she leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"What?" I screeched wondering if I'd heard her correctly.

"Panties," she hissed. "Kinky black ones."

Everyone in the entire nail salon gasped including my nail tech Ambrose.

"He didn't!" Lissa gasped. Jill shook her head in disbelief while Mia just looked down at the table in front of her.

"I'm sorry Rose," Sydney said quietly.

I nodded tears pricking my eyes. "It's okay. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. He's already given us a bad impression and he's just being true to his character," I said not being able to help the disappointment I felt.

"The guy sounds like an asshole," Ambrose said. "Sorry if I'm overstepping my bounds, but you are a very beautiful girl and if he's too dumb to notice you, then he's not only an asshole, but an idiot as well."

I smiled at that. "Thanks," I told him. It was nice to hear that an outsider found me beautiful. I was having serious doubts about myself lately.

"I think that in light of recent news that we should get facials too. It's on me," Lissa said sympathetically.

**Well Dimitri is back to being a pig, but I promise next chapter is going to have something we've all been waiting for. I can't really remember what it is that you wanted to see happen between Dimitri and Rose. You might have to remind me in your reviews=)**


	22. Chapter 22: Mistletoe

**Chapter 22: Mistletoe**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

"That is a beautiful dress Rose. I'm sure Aaron is going to love it," my mother said smiling at me as she snapped mine and Christian's picture before we left for Lissa's. I'd decided not to go over to Lissa's early so I could avoid Dimitri as long as possible. Christian snorted knowing that I was so not looking forward to seeing Aaron.

"Yea Rose, I know you're just dying to see Aaron," he crooned.

"Did I miss something?" my mother asked eying us.

She and dad were coming to the party later, but they were going to be a little late. Dad was busy with some last minute stuff to finish up for his final exams that we would be taking starting on Wednesday. I was totally unprepared for finals as usual. Why bother, I had no idea why I wasn't really good at tests when my brother and sister were both freaking geniuses. I think it had to do with my attention span.

"Rose, Christian it's so good to see you," Lissa's mom greeted us after the butler ushered us inside taking our coats.

"Wow that dress is amazing," Eddie said giving me a wolfish grin.

"Yes Little Cupcake you look gorgeous." Adrian kissed my cheek.

I scanned the room and was thankful not to see Dimitri anywhere.

"How about some appetizers?" Adrian asked steering me towards one of the cater waiters carrying around appetizers on silver platters.

"Here I snagged us some champagne," he said. We'd only been talking and eating a few minutes when a very strange, but happy look took over Adrian's face. I followed his gaze across the room to where his Aunt Tatiana was standing. He wasn't looking at her, but at the very tall, beautiful girl next to her. She was wearing a shimmery green strapless dress and silver stilettos. Her shoulder length black hair was pulled into a side pony tail. As soon as she spotted Adrian she smiled brightly waving at him with her slender hand.

"Is that Avery?" I gasped at her undeniable beauty.

He nodded awestruck at the sight of her. The girl handed her drink off to the nearest waiter and began walking swiftly towards us.

"Here hold this a minute," he said his voice nearly a whisper. He looked like he was in a daze his eyes never leaving her. She reached us quickly throwing her arms around him. He lifted her off the ground in a bear hug.

"SÖYBEN alamamış sana hayatımın," she said hugging him back tightly.

"LEYEMEM size inanıyor gerçekten burada," he said pulling back looking into her eyes caressing her cheeks softly with his hands.

"Sen gerçekten?" he asked.

"Evet ben," she replied leaning into him further. Their lips met in what looked like a very passionate kiss shared between two lovers that had been separated for a long time.

"You guys are really cute," I told them breaking the silence. I felt awkward just standing there watching them exchange their mushy greetings.

They broke apart and Avery smiled brightly at me.

"You must be the Rose I've heard so much about," she said looking me over. She spoke with a thick accent that sounded extremely familiar to me. I stood there slightly confused. Had they been speaking English just a few minutes ago? Now that I thought of it, I didn't think so. If not though then why did I feel like I understood their conversation. I stood there entirely perplexed for a minute before Adrian began waving his hand in front of my face.

"Little Cupcake are you alright?" he asked concerned.

"Oh, uh yea," I told him snapping back to reality.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you Avery. Adrian has talked so much about you. I feel as if we've already met."

She scrutinized me further. "Yes, I'm having a feeling of déjà vu myself. Adrian speaks so fondly of his new American friend."

"I'm so glad you two have had a chance to meet," he said hooking his arm possessively around his girlfriend's waist. They looked so incredibly sweet together.

"Were you two speaking another language before?" I asked.

"They both looked at me like I'd grown a third eye in the middle of my forehead."

"Yes, it was Turkish. That is where we are from," Avery stated.

"Oh," I said confused. I'd always thought with the name Ivashkov that he was Romanian.

"I thought you were Romanian?"

He coughed loudly choking on his champagne. Avery patted him swiftly on the back as they exchanged worried looks. I wondered what was up with that. Whatever their weirdness was hardly the most bizarre thing that I'd experienced tonight. Hell I'd just understood Turkish, maybe I was drunk off one glass of champagne.

"My mother's side is Romanian, but my father is Turkish," he explained suddenly seeming uneasy.

"Do you speak another language?" Avery asked changing the subject.  
>"No, I'm pretty much bombing French right now," I admitted rather ungracefully. But hey who knows, I thought you two were speaking English before so I guess I speak Turkish," I joked laughing rather obnoxiously. They both gave me odd looks and I took that as my cue to go find Lissa before I made an even bigger ass of myself.<p>

DPOV

To say that Rose was devastatingly sexy in her dress was an understatement. Those high heels really made her legs look long. I knew Sydney must have spilled the beans about the locker room situation because none of the girls were speaking to me and Rose had refused to come to the Dragomirs early to get ready with her friends.

I sighed in exasperation as I watched her converse easily with Adrian and who I figured was Avery his wife. I had to hand it to him. She was beautiful and they looked happy. They all seemed to be having a good time. I mingled politely as the Dragomirs introduced me to their friends and family.

"Dimitri, how are you?" Rose's mother cornered me by the punch bowl. I looked around anxiously praying to God that Tasha was not here. All I needed was to get stuck alone in a room with her and it would definitely be the worst night of my life.

"How are you Mrs. Ozera?" I asked politely.

"I'm well. Are you enjoying your first American Christmas?"

"Yes so far it's very nice. There are a lot of Christmas trees," I mused.

"Yes, after the guests leave it is tradition for the kids to stay the night and trim the big one in the living room." My pulse rate increased at the thought of Rose spending the night here. I was a dirty dirty fiend for thinking about ripping Rose's dress from her body while I was talking to her mother.

"Does your family have a tree?" she asked.

"Yes we do have a tree, although for a long time it was illegal to celebrate Christmas in Russia."

"Yes, that is what my husband tells me," she said. Our conversation was interrupted by Lissa making the announcement that the karaoke portion of the night was going to begin.

"Several of the Dragomir's friends sang tasteful versions of Silent Night, Sleigh Ride and the Little Drummer Boy. Lissa and Christian did a cute version of Baby it's Cold Outside and Mia butchered Santa Baby, but what stopped my heart was when Rose took the stage and belted out a version of Oh Holy Night that brought everyone to tears nearly rivaling the talent of Mariah Carey. She had the voice of an angel.

"You have a beautiful voice Roza," I complimented her as she passed by me on her way down the stairs.

She looked up at me and I could see the pain that flashed through her eyes.

"Thank you," she said before continuing on her way.

The night passed slowly for me watching everyone else talk and laugh and have a good time. Aaron had called Rose making his excuses that he was not feeling well having caught a stomach bug and would see her in school on Monday. She almost seemed relieved much to my sick delight.

Later after most everyone had gone home and all of us kids as Mrs. Ozera had put it were left to decorate the tree. Andree, Christian, Mason and Eddie came down the stairs with numerous boxes.

"Okay the guys can figure out the lights and the girls will do the ornaments and string the popcorn and cranberries," Lissa dictated.

An hour and a half later the lights had been untangled and wrapped around the tree, the cranberries and popcorn had been strung and hung on the tree and the ornaments were scattered throughout the branches.

"Let's throw on the tinsel!" Rose cried. Christian rolled his eyes.

"This is her favorite part, mostly because it makes a huge mess, I think," he said.

"It's my favorite too," Adrian said with a grimace. I wondered if he was thinking back to his mother's death or his sister's disappearance. Either way, I felt for him. Avery kept staring at Rose with a funny look on her face like she was sizing her up. I hoped she wasn't jealous. She didn't have reason to be.

Rose and Mia pranced around the tree excitedly throwing tinsel in all directions. I think they got more on the floor than and the tree, but it made my day to see Rose look so happy and carefree.

After they were done they stood back admiring their work.

"I think it looks fabulous!" Rose declared. Everyone murmured their agreement as Andree turned off the lights and plugged in the tree illuminating the room. The tree did look gorgeous, but that isn't what caught my eye. The way Rose looked as the lights bounced off the sequins on her dress was making it hard for me to drag my eyes away from her.

"Hey look you guys are standing under the mistletoe Adrian said loudly pointing at Rose and I." Rose's eyes widened as we both looked at the ceiling. A feeling of dread and excitement passed through me at the same time. I longed to feel her warm lips against mine, but knowing how she felt about me made my stomach churn. She hated me for the tangled web of lies I had been weaving.

"Yea Rose you know the rules. You have to kiss him," Lissa encouraged, although I had no idea why. They all hated me. I was sure of that. I hated me too.

Rose took a deep breath licking her luscious lips driving me absolutely insane.

"Well, I say we get it over with shall we?" she said moving closer to me. Kill me now this was my greatest fantasy come to life.

I inhaled sharply putting one hand on her waist. She trembled a little as I touched her and I wondered if she could feel the electricity that crackled between us. I bent down slowly cupping her face with my other hand as I brought my lips down to hers.

To say that sparks flew as our lips met wasn't strong enough a description of the passion that flowed between us. What I had feared most about us kissing was that once I got a taste of her I wouldn't be able to stop. Our lips continued to move together and I was vaguely aware when her arms moved around my neck. I took the opportunity to tangle my hands in her beautiful hair as we deepened our kiss. Much to my surprise, but also enjoyment she opened her mouth granting me access which I gladly took. Our tongues met in an epic battle for dominance. I could feel the heat radiating off her body as she pressed herself up against me.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I should stop this madness right this minute, but I couldn't. I was not strong enough to pull away. I wanted to rush her upstairs into my bedroom, tear off her beautiful dress and make sweet love to her for the rest of the night. I wanted to wake up to her beautiful face in the morning and every day after that.

After what seemed like only a heartbeat we were both gasping for air as we broke apart. I couldn't look anywhere but in her eyes. She was panting and her pupils were dilated and she'd never looked more breathtakingly gorgeous than she did with her cheeks flushed from excitement and her lips swollen from my kisses.

"That was amazing," I breathed leaning my forehead against hers. I half expected the others to interrupt us, but I realized they had retreated leaving us alone.

She nodded, but didn't respond verbally. My hands were still tangled in her soft locks and if I had my way now that she was in my arms I was never letting her go.

**Okay now! I gave you what you wanted now give me some LOVE! Next chapter they will have a long talk and uh oh is Avery suspicious of Rose or is she just jealous? Can Rose really understand Turkish?**

**Turkish Translations**

**SÖYBEN alamamış sana hayatımım – I've missed you so much my love**

**LEYEMEM size inanıyor gerçekten burada – I can't believe you're really here.**

**Sen gerçekten? – Are you real?**

**Evet ben- Yes I am.**


	23. Chapter 23: So Wrong Yet So Right

**Chapter 23: So Wrong Yet So Right**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

Oh my God! Dimitri Belikov's sexy lips are kissing me right now was all I could think. Every bad thing I'd ever thought about him flew out of my head and were replaced with the most beautiful fireworks, yes I said it fireworks.

Wow was all I could think when we separated from lack of oxygen. He'd literally kissed me speechless. I couldn't form a coherent sentence to save my life. My head began to clear as I realized we were alone and still intertwined. Then reality came crashing down on me like a bucket of cold ice water.

"Why?" I whispered.

DPOV

"Why what?" I asked still trying to catch my breath.

"Wendy," she managed to choke out retching herself out of my grip. I looked down at the ground before reluctantly meeting her eyes that were filled with betrayal.

"I'm sorry," was all I could say. I hadn't actually done anything with Wendy, but the way she was looking at me with such hurt made me feel like I had.

"Sorry for what? It's not like I expected anything out of you," she snorted. You've made it perfectly clear that you're only interested in getting laid since the minute you got here. Having her angry at me like this made the kiss we shared feel tainted. I hadn't meant to hurt her, yet that's all I kept doing.

"I'm not a good guy Roza. I can't be with you. Not the way you want," I said. If only she knew just how much I wanted her and to what lengths I would go to make her happy if we were together. If only she would push a little harder I'm sure my façade would fade in an instant. What was I thinking, I shouldn't pursue this it was wrong.

"Why is that? Why is it you can play tonsil hockey in the back seat of Lissa's parent's car with every other girl at our school, but when you feel something real you run and hide? You men are all the same! You make me sick!" The distain in her voice made me cringe.

She made a move to exit the room, but I couldn't let her leave not just yet. I needed to kiss her again even if she slapped me. I grabbed her arm jerking her around to face me before crashing my lips to hers with fervor. She didn't even try to struggle melting into my arms like she belonged there. If only I could be selfish and take her. Could I? What was so wrong about being with her again? I couldn't remember why I was fighting so hard to stay away, not while we were touching like this.

I pulled away all too soon leaving her breathless again and staring at me curiously.

"So I was right," she stated. "You do feel something for me and that scares you."

"It doesn't matter what I feel Roza. I'm going back to Russia at the end of the school year. It would be selfish for me to start something with you knowing I'm leaving."

Her posture softened a little and she seemed to be lost in thought for a minute like things were coming together in her mind. No doubt she thought my lame excuse was my main reason for staying away from her. It was one of them, but if that was the only thing I was worried about she would be mine right now.

"So you decided it would be better to whore around the school with random girls you care nothing about than spend a year with someone you have feelings for?" she asked a look of bewilderment crossing her face. She said it like it was the most simple decision in the world and if I were seventeen it would have been. No question, I would be with her right now.

"Is that the kind of person you are? I don't think it is." She continued to size me up like she was trying to prove her theory was true. She had no idea how right she was. I would never have been like this in high school or anytime after. I was a one woman man, and I wanted her to be the one.

I let out a breath. If only I could tell her why I was here and how old I was. She wouldn't want me then. Oh how I hated myself for doing this to her.

"It's too hard. Russia is too far. We will never see each other again," I argued trying to discourage her.

"So what, you're just going to go back to Russia and forget we ever met?" she asked incredulously? Right like it would be that easy. She invaded my every waking moment and appeared frequently in my dreams.

"I couldn't forget you Roza, I don't think I will ever be able to forget you," I told her being honest for the first time.

"Do you think it's easy for me staying away from you?" I asked letting my emotions get the better of me? "Do you think I'm that in control all the time?"

"Then stop," she said moving closer. I gulped as she took my hand in hers.

"Just do what your heart tells you to do," she said looking deeply into my eyes. It was if she was looking directly at my soul. Oh how I wanted to give in and do something wild and crazy just this once. I had to stop myself though. She was seventeen and I was twenty-four. If she were eighteen, I would let myself fall for her and never look back.

"This is wrong," I told her as I allowed her to break down my walls.

"If this is wrong, then I don't want to be right," she said pressing her soft lips against mine once again causing me to lose myself in her.

Oh hell, what's the point of denying myself any longer. I decided on a whim to throw caution to the wind and let the chips fall where they may. I might regret it later when I ended up in jail with a broken heart, but for now, I was willing to take the risk.

RPOV

Finally I was able to break down the wall he was fighting so hard to stand behind. I knew he wasn't really a man whore. He'd been so sincere when he'd been nice to me and spent time helping me make the birdfeeder for my father. He wasn't the pig he was making himself out to be and admitted that he'd asked majority of those girls out to keep himself away from me.

It was an odd way to go about things, but I found in endearing that he felt so vulnerable. He said he wanted to be with me, but was afraid of hurting me or of getting hurt himself when he returned to his family at the end of the year.

While I could understand where he was coming from, I couldn't understand why he would do something so out of character as to date half the student body in order to avoid me. He was right though, it had made me feel differently about him, but I hadn't lost faith that maybe he was putting up a façade.

We stayed up most of the night after Lissa's Christmas party talking about everything. He told me about his friend Ivan who'd been killed in a car accident and how much he missed him. He told me how his father had left when he was young and had been physically abusive to his mother and sisters until he'd stood up at the age of thirteen and given him an ass kicking. I could actually picture him being the noble knight in shining armor riding up on a white horse to save his family.

It warmed my heart as he told me about his grandmother who was clairvoyant or possibly just old and eccentric. He told me that his oldest sister Karolina had two children Paul and Zoya and his sister Sonya had gotten married just before he moved to the States.

His little sister Viktoria sounded a lot like me. I had a feeling if we ever met it we'd get along thick as thieves. He'd laughed and agreed with me wholeheartedly.

"So enough about me. Tell me about you," he said drawing lazy circles on my shoulder with his finger as we lay side by side on the sofa in front of the decorated tree. He seemed a lot more relaxed than usual.

"What do you want to know? You've already met my family and friends and been to my house and seen my epic fails in Alto's class," I snorted.

"Why is your sister so mean to you? Adrian told me about the gravy."

I sighed. "I really don't know. Ever since I can remember she's acted like I was a thorn in her side Sometimes I think she regrets me being born."

"So she wanted to be an only child?" he asked.

"No, she loves Christian. She's never done or said anything mean to him. They get along pretty well unless he intervenes on my behalf and she gets pissed off."

"So she was like that since you were born?"

"I don't know, I mean I really can't remember anything from before the fire," I told him.

"Fire?" he questioned.

"Yes, when I was six and Christian was almost seven there was a fire in our old house in the middle of the night. We were both so traumatized that neither of us can remember much from before that night," I explained.

"Where was your old house?" he asked.

"It was close to Portland. We moved here right after. We lost everything. That's why we don't have any photos or anything from childhood."

"It must have been terrifying," he said sympathetically pulling me closer to his warm body. I reveled in the tingles his touch sent through my entire body.

"Eh, I don't really remember it so it's no big deal," I shrugged.

"Not remembering six years of your life sounds like a big deal to me," he mused.

"Yea, I guess I never really thought about it that way. I just figured since I probably wouldn't have remembered much before age three or four anyways that I only lost about two years."

"That's true," he agreed.

It was almost dawn when he walked me back to Lissa's room having held my hand all the way up the stairs. We hadn't really discussed what our kissing and talking was leading to, but I was pretty sure he wasn't going to start ignoring me again.

"Goodnight Roza," he said brushing his lips briefly across mine.

"Night," I murmured bringing my hands to my lips smiling widely as I closed the door behind me.

No sooner had I closed the door than the lights flipped on and Mia, Lissa, Jill and Sydney were ready to pounce on me for details.

"Oh my God that kiss. He used his tongue and everything."

"Was it good? Did he slobber?"

"Are you guys an item now?"

"What is this, the Spanish inquisition?" I asked brushing off their questions as I slipped my dress off.

"Oh come on Rose please tell us!" Lissa whined.

"Yes, do tell how you and the man whore spent half the night making out," Sydney said scowling.

"He's a fabulous kisser. We talked for a long time and I think things are going in the right direction," I said.

"So he's going to give up his dogging around to be your boyfriend?" Jill asked skeptically.

"Well I don't know about boyfriend, but there's definitely something between us," I said dreamily flopping down on the bed.

"Just be careful. You might just be another one of his conquests," Mia stated bluntly.

"Geez Mia way to ruin my buzz. It's not like I'm going to sleep with him. We're not even together together yet," I told her rolling my eyes.

I loved my friends, but sometimes they didn't know when to shut up!

**So next up is a little more from Dimitri and we're finally going to hear from Adrian and Avery. Do you think Dimitri and Rose are going to start dating or will something else get in the way? If so what do you think it will be? Review or Rose's father bans her from seeing Dimitri=)**


	24. Chapter 24: The Good Wife

**Chapter 24: The Good Wife**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

DPOV

Well it's official, I, Dimitri Alexandr Belikov am going to hell, do not pass go, do not collect one-hundred dollars going straight to hell. I'd finally let myself go and given in to my burning desire to be with Rose. I was surprised at how forgiving and accepting she'd been of my past indiscretions. She still didn't know that I didn't do anything with any of those girls, yet she was willing to look past it and give me a fresh start. I knew I was setting myself up for a huge upset when she found out about the case, that is assuming I ever found Rosemarie. I'd decided to take Adrian's advice and not worry about the consequences. It was possible that I could go back to Russia after finding Abe's daughter and Rose would be none the wiser. Of course that still left me with the problem of physically separating myself from her.

Talking to her about Ivan and my family was something I'd wanted to do since the first time I spoke to her. It felt good to let loose and be myself for once. I of course fudged a little on the ages and details, but it was as close to the truth as I'd been able to tell in so long. It was like a burden was lifted from my shoulders as I lie next to her on the Dragomir's oversized couch holding her in my arms listening to her talk about her family.

I found it quite curious that both she and Christian would not remember a thing about their past because of a fire. It made me wonder if the Ozera's had secrets. For the most part they seemed like the typical American family. There wasn't a red flag to be seen, that is until this whole news about the fire and memory loss surfaced. The more I thought about it the more I was sure that there had to be a reason Tasha was so bitter towards Rose. It could have something to do with the fire. I made a mental note to check out their background at a later date to satisfy my own curiosity.

I walked her to Lissa's door and couldn't resist kissing her one last time before saying goodnight.

I walked back to my suite and had just stepped inside the door when a fist connected with my eye. If I hadn't been a trained fighter I would have gone down like a ton of bricks, instead I pinned my attacker to the ground in one swift movement.

"Who the hell are you?" I growled hoping it wasn't one of Abe's henchmen.

"Hey, get your big Russian ass off me!" I recognized Christian's voice in the darkness and loosened my grip on him. I used my free hand to flip on the lamp on the night stand.

"Why did you hit me?" I asked.

"Because you were down there groping my sister all night!" he snarled struggling to get out of my grasp. I figured he wouldn't be too happy about it, not with the reputation I'd built for myself here.

"Can I let you go or are you going to hit me again?" I asked. He wasn't hard to subdue at all, in fact I'd had a harder time restraining Rose from killing Jesse that day at school.

"Maybe," he said reluctantly. I let him go and held out my hand helping him to his feet.

"You should leave her alone Belikov. She's a nice girl. Go back to your skanks," he bit out.

I sighed. "Look it's not what it looks like," I started.

"Oh so you weren't down there making out with Rose for the past three hours?" he asked hands clenched at his sides.

"Well yes I was kissing her, but I was not groping her. I have a lot of respect for her and I would never take advantage of her," I assured him.

"You've been playing mind games with her for months. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I was trying to stay away from her, but I can't. I'm in love with her," I admitted sheepishly.

"What? Since when? Didn't you just get caught with Wendy's underwear in your car?"

I guess everyone had heard that story by now.

"Yes, she left them there, but no we did not have sex." I didn't want to tell him that, but I felt as if I had to justify myself to him.

"Just because you didn't sleep with her doesn't mean you're not an ignorant prick," he snorted. He was right and there wasn't anything I could do to deny it without exposing myself so I remained quiet.

"You'd better watch your back," he muttered. "My sister really seems to like you and so I'm going to give you a chance, but mark my words if you cross her or do anything to hurt her, I will make you wish you'd never been born and I have three good friends and Adrian that will back me up." With that being said he stalked out of the room.

"Well I'll be damned," I thought. If I wasn't floating on cloud nine from earlier this evening then I might have taken offense to him slugging and threatening me. Come to think of it, he was rather sweet to be looking out for her like that. I would have done the same for any one of my sisters. Thankfully he didn't hit hard and I probably would only be slightly bruised tomorrow.

Being too wound up to sleep, I decided to do a little research on traumatic stress and memory loss. After searching a few medical sites and some online databases I discovered that it was very possible that both Christian and Rose had suffered from post traumatic stress disorder in which memories can become fragmented or incomplete and difficult or impossible to recall. It was actually a lot more common than one would think. It wouldn't have affected Tasha as badly as she was not as young. It's possible that Rose received more parental attention than she did because of this, thus causing jealousy. Although, then wouldn't she be jealous of Christian as well since he had not only suffered from memory loss, but from some sort of hyper anemia as well.

My brain was beginning to hurt and although I was curious about the Ozera's I still had a lot of work to do trying to find Abe's daughter. I did not want him to come here. Things could get really ugly and out of hand. It was bad enough Adrian and now Avery was here. I decided to call it a night and enjoy the blissful feelings of finally being with the woman I loved.

APOV

So this is Rose? I thought as Adrian made introductions between myself and a very beautiful teenage girl. It had been really hard being away from my husband for such a long time. We'd been the best of friends since we were born our mothers having been very close before Adrian's mother passed. He was a tough little seven-year old and took his mother's death hard, but managed to maintain his happy go lucky nature. It was when Rosemarie, his sister was kidnapped by her crazy bitch of a mother that he really went off the deep end.

The two were very close. Abe wasn't around all the time and half the time Janine didn't know what day it was so Adrian had taken to playing with his sister, feeding her, getting her up and dressed in the morning and teaching her things. He called it playing school. She'd been such a smart child picking things up quite easily. He even had a little chalk board and a student's desk he would make her sit at while he stood at the front dictating from his own school books. She adored him and would do anything he asked of her. The three of us had great times playing outdoors and tearing around the Mazur mansion.

When his father sat him down and told him that it was unlikely Rosemarie was coming back, he took it especially hard. He wouldn't come out of his room for days and when he finally did it was only to go into his sister's room and bury himself under the covers in her bed.

When I came over to find out why he wouldn't come ride bikes with me, I'd found him there under her purple satin sheets clutching her stuffed bear and crying his beautiful green eyes out. When I'd asked him what he was doing he said he missed Rosemarie and that her bed smelled like her and he didn't want to leave it. I'd crawled into bed beside him and held his head to my chest while he let out his emotions.

Shortly after her disappearance he started sneaking alcohol from Abe's cabinet and would abuse it until he got sick. I don't know how many times I cleaned up after him and put him to bed to sleep off his hangovers. Eventually Abe forced him to see a therapist and he's been going ever since. Sometimes around the holidays when he'd get especially down I'd attend his sessions with him. He'd been helping his father search for her for a long time each time coming up with a dead end or the PI would tell them it was a lost cause and that she was probably dead. Those were the days I dreaded the most. I'd find him in a drunken stupor sitting outside her bedroom door mumbling incoherently. I truly feared that one day he'd drink himself to death. I'd tried so hard to get him to drink less or even quit, but he said it numbed the bad feelings.

Things got better in high school and our friendship developed into a romance. He was the only man I'd ever loved and when he proposed after graduation I couldn't think of anything I wanted more than to be his wife. When he told me he was coming here to the States to help the PI who was investigating the strongest lead they'd had in years, I'd been skeptical at first, but had fully supported his decision. It was something he needed to do. He always said how useless he felt just sitting around waiting for someone else to find her. I loved him more than anything and I wanted him to have closure one way or another.

Abe had called me at school in Paris asking if I'd go and keep my husband company during what seems to be his hardest time each year. All it took was one look around the apartment we shared and seeing everything in order for me to jump at the chance. Adrian was what I referred to as a pig pen. He traveled around with a constant array of things strewn about. He never could pick up after himself or do his laundry. He left dishes lying all over and would constantly start something never to finish it. Regardless, I missed him so much. We'd been sleeping in the same bed since we were ten and hadn't been apart for more than a weekend since we'd been married. I couldn't wait to see him. The thought of spending another night alone in our cold empty bed nearly killed me so I packed a bag and used Abe's private jet making it to the house just in time to change clothes and hop in the car with his Aunt to get to some holiday party which is where I was now.

We conversed for a few seconds in our native tongue and shared a passionate kiss before his friend interrupted us. There was an odd familiarity to her. Something about her eyes and her smile made me wonder if we'd met before. I studied her unobtrusively for the remainder of the evening and failed to see her resemblance to either of her parents or her brother. Adrian had often claimed that his new friend reminded him of his sister and brought him comfort. I trusted him completely and I'd never worried about him being with another woman, but this girl caused me to worry in another capacity. He was becoming attached to her. As I studied her I could see why he was so drawn to her. She had similar features and her name was Rose. He was unknowingly using her as a substitute for Rosemarie and that in and of itself was unhealthy.

I'd thought I was onto something when she claimed to have understood us while we were speaking Turkish so after she started making out with the PI I pulled Adrian outside to the car.

"Is it possible that Rose is the one?" I asked. He burst out laughing.

"Stop laughing. I'm serious. She looks like her, has the same name, and practically understood our whole conversation earlier. You don't even think there's a slight chance?"

He sighed. "Avery my love, I wish it were that simple. Rose comes from a very loving happy family. I've spent a lot of time with them and I can assure you that she's not the girl we're looking for." The way he spoke so fondly of her only increased my worries of him becoming overly dependent on her.

"But she doesn't resemble them at all," I argued. He shrugged.

"You're right she's much more beautiful," he said.

"You've become attached to her," I mused.

He sighed. "Yes, I know. She makes me feel good. It's almost like she's still here." The longing in his voice as he spoke about his sister broke my heart.

"Come here," I beckoned.

"Well Mrs. Mazur, I thought you'd never ask," he said cheekily pulling me into his arms and oh how good it felt to be here with him right now. His friends were nice, but I really needed to be alone with him.

"Let's go home," I whispered in his ear.

"How about we take a little detour," he said holing up what looked like a hotel key.

"Yes, we wouldn't want to wake Auntie Tatiana," I purred eager to be alone with my husband. It had been far too long.

After reconnecting with my husband for the majority of the night, I lay awake in his arms my mind turning over the events of this evening. Something kept bringing me back to Rosalie Ozera. There had to be something in her past that would tell me if she was the one. My husband was a wonderful man, but sometimes he couldn't see what was right in front of him. What surprised me though, was that Belikov was getting so close to her. Surely he wouldn't do that if she were Abe's daughter. That would be completely unprofessional not to mention he'd be signing his own death warrant. Abe would surely kill him being that she was seven years his junior. Maybe he'd already checked out her past ruling her out as a suspect. I had to admit that they were very cute together. I'd never met Dimitri face to face, but Adrian had been whining about him for the past few months so I felt like I knew him. He seemed like a good guy and I really hoped he would be the one to end Adrian and Abe's suffering once and for all.

I would have to speak to him and see if he checked her out and if not I planned to conduct a thorough examination of her life, but not until after the holidays. Right now Adrian needed me to be there for him and being the good wife that I was, that is exactly what I was going to do.

**So do we like Avery? Not a lot of people paint her in a good light, but I feel that it was Spirit that drove her mad and if she had been human she might have been a nice girl. Anyways sad to say that this is the last chapter I have completely finished right now. I've outlined the next few, but have to work out the kinks. I will be skipping tomorrow's update and hope to have the next chapter up sometime on Saturday. I know I've been spoiling you with daily updates and I hope to at least do it every other day right now. Stick with me because this is far from over=)**

**What did you think of Christian slugging Dimitri?**


	25. Chapter 25: Not Pictured

**Chapter 25: Not Pictured**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

"Are you ready for Alto's final?" Dimitri asked. It was now Wednesday morning and we were all gathered around our usual table in the cafeteria

"No," I groaned. I'd tried so hard to focus and study these past few days, but I just couldn't concentrate. I kept reliving Saturday night over and over again. I'd been nervous after I left Lissa's that it had all been a dream and Dimitri was just going to go back to ignoring me like usual, but around six my phone rang. I thought it would be Lissa, but was shocked to see the word Comrade flashing across the screen.

He said he was just calling to see if I wanted to ride with him to school tomorrow. I was so excited I nearly dropped the phone. Not only had he called me, but he was going to make things between us public. We talked for a few minutes until my dad started harassing me to get off the phone and study for my finals. Apparently it didn't work because here I was five minutes before the first bell and I was cramming as much information into my head as I possibly could.

"Relax Roza, you'll be fine," Dimitri said putting his hand over mine in a comforting gesture. It sent tingles up my arm, but did little to reassure me about Stan's test.

As I sat behind him in class, I could tell he really knew the material because as he scribbled away furiously, I sat tapping my pencil on my desk. I didn't even understand what the question was asking let alone how to even begin formulating an answer. I sighed as the bell rang and everyone scrambled to turn in their tests. I had managed to finish, but just barely.

"How do you think it went?" he asked as he grabbed my books from my desk. He had taken to walking me to class and carrying my books. It was really rather sweet.

"Ugh, not good! What the hell is existentialism?" I groaned.

"It's what we've been going over all semester," he said scrutinizing me to see if I was serious.

"Maybe I should have paid a little more attention to the troll when he talks, but seriously who needs that crap anyways?" He laughed.

"In my experience not many."

After the initial shock on Monday morning when we showed up together, the student body had gawked at us all day. By the time the bell rang on Friday signaling the beginning of Christmas break most people had forgotten about the excitement. Everyone that is except for Aaron. He'd been pretty upset and had come by the house on Sunday evening. He looked like death from having the flu and probably from finding out about me and Dimitri.

_Flashback_

"_Rose, Aarron is at the door," my mother called. My heart literally stopped beating. _

"_Shit, shit, shit," I muttered under my breath. I couldn't believe word got to him this fast._

"_Hey," I said descending the stairs to find him standing in the foyer._

"_Can we talk outside?" he asked shuffling uncomfortably from one foot to another. I nodded grabbing my coat, hat, scarf and gloves. _

"_So you and Belikov huh?" he asked looking down at the ground kicking at the snow._

_I sighed. "Aaron, I'm sorry. I know I probably misled you. You didn't deserve that." It was cold enough to see my breath and I couldn't help but shiver._

"_Nah, it's cool. I kind of figured after the way he gawked at you all night at the Fall Ball. I just wish you'd been honest with me." Wow way to lay on the guilt. He was being so nice and mature about this, it was really making me feel terrible. Perhaps that was the whole idea._

"_I really am sorry. You're such a nice guy and if circumstances were different,"_

"_You mean if you were actually attracted to me," he snorted. _

"_Yea okay, I know it sounds lame so how about I just leave it at I'm really sorry and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," I said._

"_Thanks, no hard feelings. See you at school tomorrow." He turned to leave._

"_Aaron wait!" I called. He turned to face me._

_I walked over and kissed his cheek softly. "See you around," I said before returning to the warmth of my house. _

"_Did you let him down gently?" my mother asked looking up from her book. _

"_How did you…?" She gave me a knowing look. _

"_Oh, you talked to Tasha and she's pissed that I stole her future conquest," I guessed._

_She laughed. "No, but I'm sure she'll call soon." _

"_Then how?" I asked curiously._

_She smiled knowingly pulling her phone out of her pocket. She flipped through it for a minute and then held it out for me to see. _

_My eyes widened as I looked at a photograph of Dimitri and I locking lips under the mistletoe. _

"_Who?" _

"_Lila took it. She was coming down to grab a few things out of the decorations box and couldn't resist. She said it was too cute to miss." _

"_Wow that is really embarrassing. You didn't show Dad did you?" _

_She nodded. "He thought it was just precious. I think his exact words were it's about time," she said smiling. _

"_Ugh is nothing sacred anymore?" I groaned._

_End Flashback_

It shocked me that Natalia actually stopped me in the bathroom to congratulate me on finally wearing him down. She told me that I was all he could think about at the Fall Ball and how annoying he'd been all night. She was pretty nice and had a good sense of humor. It made me feel good knowing that he hadn't been with her physically or mentally that night. I did still wonder about all the others.

"No school for two whole weeks!" Mia shouted as we burst through the doors of the school. It was snowing quite heavily and our cars were buried.

"Hey let's go to the football field and make snow angels," I said excitedly. It was one of my favorite things to do in the winter.

"Awesome!" Eddie cried as he Mason and Andree took off towards the field.

"Thanks a lot Rose, now we're going to get pelted with snowballs all day," Sydney whined.

"That's the fun of it," I said picking up a handful of snow in my fuzzy red gloved hands and packing it into a ball. I fake chucked it at Sydney who squealed, but really threw it at Dimitri hitting him square in the mouth.

He spit out the snow and a wicked grin took up residence on his face.

"You'd better run Roza!" he growled. I took off across the snow as fast as I could. Thankfully I had the foresight to wear my snow boots today. Just as I suspected, he was faster than me in the snow and managed to tackle me to the ground.

"Stop, I give I give!" I cried as we wrestled.

"Not until I get you back," he said mischievously as he held me down.

"Do you like snow cones?" he asked with a smirk.

My eyes widened as he grabbed a huge fistful of snow.

"You wouldn't dare," I said smugly. He so wouldn't shove snow in my face.

"Wouldn't I?" he asked before shoving the snow right in my face.

I howled as all hell broke loose. Everyone had caught up with us by now and it was an all out snowball war.

"So much for making snow angels," Lissa said smiling as she tossed snow all over me.

"Let's have teams!"Andree called out.

"Rose you can be captain and Dimtri you can be the other," he suggested.

"You'd better watch your back Comrade," I told him. It ended up being me, Mia, Christian, Mason, Sydney and Adrian against Dimitri, Andree, Eddie, Jill, Lissa and Avery, who had joined us when she came to pick Adrian up from school.

"Game on! If you get hit you're out!" Andree ordered.

We all ran to our respective snow lairs to bottle up snowballs. We had ten minutes to make as many as we could before we could start to pursue the other team.

Lissa and Sydney of course were the first to go down. They didn't really want to play anyways. Then Mason hit Jill in the face and while he was laughing at her Eddie creamed him from behind. Adrian stopped to smoke and Avery snuck up on him. I hit her and they went off together to make out behind a tree or something. They were so sweet together.

Andree and Christian took each other down and Mia got in the way so she went down too. Then it was only Dimitri and I left. Everyone else had made their way back to the parking lot. I looked around the trees and saw nothing but white as far as the eye could see. I took a few steps forward trying to be as stealthy as possible, but my boots crunched loudly on the snow. I glanced around quickly to see if he'd heard me, but I didn't see him. I sighed turning around to head I the other direction and was met with a huge wet snowball to the face.

"I told you you'd better run," he said with a grin.

"You're so not funny Comrade," I groaned wiping the freezing cold snow out of my scarf.

"You're so cute when you whine," he said coming closer.

"Do you want me to kiss and make it better?" My heart rate increased as I nodded. He pulled me close and pressed his lips gently against mine in a sweet lingering kiss.

"So about those snow angels," he said leading me over to an untouched patch of snow.

I smiled. "It's silly. You don't have to," I told him.

"It's only silly if you do it alone," he said lying down in the snow. I laughed but plopped down a few feet away from him.

"Wow yours looks like a yeti compared to mine," I said noting the size difference.

"Maybe yours looks like a dwarf compared to mine," he retorted playfully.

"You so did not just call me a dwarf," I cried. He put his hands up in surrender, but it was too late. I was so going to get him.

"Be nice Roza," he warned backing away.

"You can run, but you can't hide," I called running after him.

We finally ended up back at my house freezing cold and sopping wet.

"You want to come in?" I asked. My mom was at work, dad was at school grading furiously so he could enjoy his holiday break, Christian was at Lissa's and Tasha wasn't coming until tomorrow.

He looked around uneasily, but nodded following me inside.

"You're shivering," he observed coming over and rubbing my arms with his hands trying to warm me up.

"I'll make some hot cocoa," I told him.

"Let me," he said. "Why don't you go up and dry your hair. You'll catch a cold."

When I came back down there were two steaming hot mugs of cocoa on the table with tiny marshmallows floating in them.

"Mmmm Comrade this is soooo good," I moaned.

He smiled widely at me. "The secret is to put in two packets of cocoa mix. That's the way my grandmother makes it for us at home," he shared.

"So if your grandmother is clairvoyant, did she see you meeting me?" I asked.

He laughed heartily. "I'm sure she did, but she's not very forthcoming and when she does say something it's usually cryptic or tied up in riddles."

"So what are your plans tomorrow night?" he asked pushing a strand of my hair that had fallen in my face behind my ear.

"Nothing really. I have to babysit in the afternoon, but I'm free in the evening.

"Would you like to go out?" he asked.

"You mean like a date?" I held my breath awaiting his response eagerly.

"Yes, like a date," he replied pulling me closer before pressing his lips to mine softly running his fingers through my hair.

"You have such beautiful hair," he murmured kissing my ear.

DPOV

Being with Rose was a dream come true. As we stood in the kitchen I realized I had a choice to make. Would I continue to let things go in this direction that could possibly lead to heartbreak for the both of us or would I end things now and save us both the pain and suffering. But as I tangled my hands in her magnificent locks I realized I was too selfish to give her up now. We talked and kissed for a little longer before I thought it best for me to head home. I had a lot of planning to do if I was going to take her on a date tomorrow and I still had some things to do for the case.

I wasn't going to allow myself to slack off on my work even if that meant lack of sleep from trying to balance my time with Rose and my time spent on the case. I sat down at my desk after having made pleasantries with the Dragomir's. I'd been over this particular file with a fine toothed comb many times yet still had no idea as to who I was looking for. I was beginning to think that the way I'd gone about making my list had been wrong. If the DNA results of the last few candidates came back negative, I would have to broaden my search. So here I was meticulously scrutinizing the file on Rosemarie for anything that could possibly stand out that I hadn't already thought of.

I had her copies of her birth certificate, doctor's appointments, school records, dental records, anything one could possibly imagine yet was still drawing a blank.

I studied the photos of her that had been taken by a Christmas tree in early December of 1999. She would have been six on January 27th so she was nearly six years old. She was smiling with a missing front tooth. She didn't have any birthmarks to speak of, her eyes were deep brown, her hair was nearly black. She had tanned skin and was of average height for her age.

Her medical records stated that she had always been very healthy. She'd been to the emergency room only twice. Once was after having had an allergic reaction to juniper berries. That in and of itself was an odd allergy, but not many places in the United States even sold those let alone used them in cuisine. I could try and get ahold of medical files from the school and check for allergies, but I was almost certain she had never been exposed to those here. Why couldn't she be allergic to peanuts or something easy like that?

The second hospitalization was for hypothermia when she was four. Abe had explained that Janine had let her play outside and had forgotten about her. She had stayed outside until the wee hours of the night without a coat. It had been January and in the thirties. When Abe had come home after a business trip early in the morning he'd found Rosemarie curled up under a bush in the front yard shivering and nearly in shock. It was a sad story, but had no lasting effects. Her blood type was O positive which was a universal donor and one of the most common blood types out there. If she'd been AB- it would have been a lot easier to narrow down my list.

Her school records indicated that she was ninetieth percentile, which meant she was very intelligent. If only I could get a hold of the elementary school yearbooks. Looking at a seventeen year old and a six year old there were so many changes, but if I could get a hold of photos from grade school maybe say of age seven or eight then I might be able to place her. So that is how I found myself rummaging through Lissa's things while she was at a hair appointment.

It wasn't hard to find as she had a large bookshelf. I sat down on the bed and opened her yearbook from second grade searching for the girl in question. I came up empty handed. I then went to third grade and so on and so forth until I reached sixth grade. Not one girl resembled the photo of Rosemarie which led me to draw two conclusions. One, the girl had not attended the same school as Lissa or two, she'd had plastic surgery to alter her appearance. I was about to close the last book when I became curious. I'd seen all kinds of goofy pictures of Lissa, Andree, Christian , Mason, Eddie and Mia, but hadn't seen any of Rose. She would have been pictured right after Christian, but she wasn't there. I glanced down at the bottom of the page and it read not pictured Rosalie Ozera.

I glanced back through the rest of the books and found similar entries. She had missed picture day every year. I would have to ask her about that later. I'd originally crossed her off the list because she had siblings and a biological family. But not being able to locate a photo of her before age sixteen and her not remembering the first six years of her life were two very large issues that I could not ignore. The only question was how could it be her? The Ozera family was practically perfect with the exception of Tasha's bad attitude. They certainly didn't act like they'd been raising someone else's child all these years. There had to be another explanation for why Rose's photos were missing.

As I put the yearbooks back in their rightful place, I came across childhood photo albums of Lissa. Surely there would be pictures of Rose in there. As I flipped through them I identified all the usuals, but curiously there were none that included Rose. How could that possibly be? I shook my head furiously trying to avoid thinking about the repercussions of her being the one I was looking for. The most important being that her life would be turned upside down when she found out her entire life had been a lie. The other part would be that now I was dating my boss' daughter. He would surely have me castrated.

Woah, I told myself. Let's not get too far ahead of the game. She doesn't fit the profile. There are some strange things in her background, but until I had explanations for them, I would not begin to panic. Nor would I share my theories with Adrian. I didn't want him doing something stupid and blowing our cover.

The first thing I needed to do was hack into public records and find her birth certificate. That way I'd have somewhere to start. If it was missing, I would keep investigating. If it was all there intact then I'd have no reason to continue speculating. Besides Rose was not good at school, someone with Rosemarie's aptitude would be acing Alto's dumbass class.

I revved up my laptop and accessed the database I'd been looking for. Sure enough the documentation I'd been looking for was all in order. Rosalie Elizabeth Ozera born March twenty-third 1994 at 7:26pm at St. Mary's Hospital in Portland, Oregon to Oksana and Mark Ozera, seven pounds six ounces, 19 inches long. There were even little footprints stamped on the bottom. I sighed in relief that I would not have to tear apart the life of the woman I loved. Why had I even thought it was her anyways?

I sat back down at the computer and researched places to go on a first date. After about an hour I came up with the perfect plan. I grabbed my phone and texted Rose.

**I'll pick you up at six tomorrow evening. Dress warm. Can't wait to see you. ~D**

A few seconds later I received a message.

**Can't wait Comrade. XOXO ~R**

Before I logged off my computer I signed into my facebook and there on the top of the page was a little symbol stating I had one new friend request I clicked on it and smiled widely. It had taken almost five months, but Rosalie Ozera had finally added me as a friend.

**So Dimitri finally entertained the possibility that Rose could be a suspect. Do you think he'll be satisfied with the (fake) birth certificate? What about Avery? Do you think she'll see past it? Next chapter will be their first date and Christmas. Then we will skip a few months and move on to January 27****th****! I wonder whY? Please review. I hope to update again on Monday. I write faster with encouragement.**


	26. Chapter 26: Abandoned

**Chapter 26: Abandoned **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**I was inspired to update early. Next time I update it will be for my other story so expect the next one on Tuesday.**

OPOV

"Did you get it?" I asked my husband. It was only a few days before Christmas and Mark had been working non- stop trying to get the proper documentation for Rose. She was going to be applying to colleges soon and there was no way she could do that without a social security number or a birth certificate. It would also be nice to let her get her driver's license because what would our excuse be once she turned eighteen and we could no longer dictate her life.

"Yes, I did," he replied. He'd been more stressed than usually trying to find contacts that wouldn't ask questions and wouldn't raise any suspicions. It was difficult finding someone to create the proper documents but also plant them in the respective offices. The birth certificate would have been easier than hacking the government files, but we needed both.

"So they were able to do it then? All of it?"

He sighed producing a file from the cabinet in the shed.

"It cost us nearly a year's salary, but yes. He was able to procure the documents and plant them in the right places."

"Well it's worth it to keep her safe," I told him. The documents looked extremely authentic.

"Are we doing the right thing?" I asked still holding the document that stated that I had given birth to a baby girl nearly eighteen years ago. Tears began filling my eyes as I wished to God that it was true. I had always felt a strong connection to Rose even though she was not biologically my daughter. I think it was because of how fragile she'd been when we'd first laid eyes on her.

I flashed back to the first time I laid eyes on her.

Flashback

"_Tasha stop teasing your brother and give him back his ice cream cone," I scolded my nine year old daughter._

_It was late March and we were at the mall shopping for Easter clothes for the kids. Tasha had shot up three inches and all her dresses were too short and Christian had outgrown all of his trousers and good shirts since Christmas. It had been a long day, but I'd promised if they behaved in the stores that they'd get ice cream before we headed home. I was holding two garment bags in each hand and they were not making it easy for me to steer clear of the other shoppers. It was nearly closing time and I'd promised my husband we'd be home long before dinner. _

_We were nearing the exit when a tiny woman with bright red hair approached me. _

"_Please you have to help us," she pleaded grabbing my arm. She spoke with a thick Scottish brogue and looked quite distraught as she kept glancing over her shoulder. _

"_Are you alright? Do you need me to call security for you?" I asked searching for the danger she seemed so sure was lurking after her. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary._

"_You must help us," she repeated. It was then that I laid eyes on the beautiful little girl. She was clutching her mother's hand. She was dirty and her dark hair was knotted and tangled. It looked as if she hadn't eaten in several days or possibly weeks. She was dressed in a raggedy dress that was dirty and full of holes, clutching a stuffed rabbit. She eyed me curiously with her big brown eyes. Her thumb was in her mouth and she was on the verge of tears. _

"_Please help us," she pleaded._

"_Okay, what is your name? What do you need?" I asked wanting to help the little girl. _

"_They're after us?" she said her eyes darting wildly around the nearly empty hallway._

"_Who?" I still didn't see anyone. She was making me nervous though._

"_The mafia," she whispered. My husband is their leader. We got away, but he wants her," she said pointing to the little girl._

_My eyes widened. She must be crazy, I thought._

" _I've been watching, you're a good mother. You have to take care of her. I have to go and throw them off the scent. Please take care of her for me," she cried before ripping her hand out of the little girl's and running for the exit leaving the girl stranded with me, a perfect stranger. _

"_Mom who was that?" Tasha asked. She was standing behind me fearfully holding onto her younger brother's hand._

"_I don't know," I told her. What I did know was that in her mother's absence the little girl had begun to wail hysterically. She kept crying out the word Anne over and over. I wondered if that was her mother's name._

_I figured the best thing to do was take the girl to the security desk and report what had happened. Unfortunately since the mall was closing there was no one to be found._

"_Okay Tasha, take these out to the car and get Christian into his safety belt. I'll be right there," I told her. She nodded obediently and took the bags and her brother's hand leading him out to the car._

"_Sweetheart can you tell me your name?" I asked bending down to her height which only caused her to scream louder. I took a deep breath. Tasha had been a fussy child and I was used to dealing with unhappy children in the children's ward at the hospital. I could do this. _

"_My name is Oksana and I want to help you. Do you speak English?" I asked. Slowly she began to calm herself enough to nod her head._

"_Can you tell me your name?" I asked. _

_She uttered something along the lines of what I thought sounded like Rosalie._

"_Well then Rose, if you hold my hand, I will take you out to the car with my children and we'll go get some help," I told her extending my hand slowly so she wouldn't be scared._

_She looked around desperately before making the decision that she could trust me. I took her tiny hand in mine and we walked out to the car. I strapped her into the seat next to Christian and began to drive._

_Maybe I should take her to the police station, I thought. Yes, that is what I was going to do. I turned in the direction of the station and turned on the radio. The Christmas carols temporarily soothed my nerves._

"_Mom what are we doing with her?" Tasha asked."Where did that crazy lady go?" _

"_Hush Tasha, we're taking her to the police station. They'll know what to do." _

"_Do you really think the mafia is after them?" she asked nervously._

"_No, I don't. I think her mother is ill and needs to go to a hospital," I told her. I tactfully avoided the words insane and asylum as not to scare her. _

_We were nearing the station when a news bulletin interrupted the song on the radio. _

"_This is a breaking news story. The local bridge has been shut down due to a severe car crash. Police suspect foul play and believe a car bomb was used. The sole victim is identified as a woman in her late twenties, red hair, green eyes about five feet two inches tall."_

_No, it couldn't be, I thought as we approached the bridge. _

"_Stay here," I ordered as I pulled over to the side of the road. I got out of the car and stopped dead in my tracks as I saw them load the victim into the ambulance. I immediately recognized her as the woman from the mall. She was badly burned and right before they closed the doors I heard them call time of death. I gasped for breath as I realized she'd been telling the truth. I had to get the hell out of here and fast before whoever was looking for her nabbed the little girl. Her mother was dead and I was the only one who knew the truth. I couldn't let them get to her. My motherly instincts took over and all I could think was that I had to protect her with my life._

_I got in the car and sped all the way home making sure that no one was following us. It had been the most terrifying night of my life. _

_I told Christian and Tasha to go upstairs immediately and get ready for bed. Tasha took Christian who was too young to understand what was going on and led him up the stairs.I picked Rosalie up and brought her into the living room where my husband Mark had fallen asleep in front of the television._

"_Mark wake up!" I shouted shaking his shoulders. _

"_What what is it?" he asked shooting into a sitting position rubbing his eyes. He regarded me closely as he took in the tears falling from my eyes and the little girl in my arms._

"_What's going on? Who is that?" he asked._

"_Shhh! Keep your voice down. I don't want to alarm the children." That was hard to do because I myself was shaking with fright._

_I explained to him the events of the evening and he agreed that we couldn't take her to the police without alerting whoever was after her._

"_Do you think you were followed?" he asked._

"_No, I don't, but I'm scared Mark." _

"_Shhh, we'll figure it out. We always do," he said comforting me._

"_What will we do with her?" I asked._

"_I don't know. For now we'll keep her here. The kids don't have to be back at school for a week because of Easter holiday. We'll make a decision before then," he said sagely._

_The girl had remained quiet the entire time we'd spoken. I set her down and Mark assessed her appearance with a sad look on his face._

"_Go and get her some of Christian's clothes. I'll start a bath," he told me. _

"_My name is Mark. Are you hungry?" he asked. She looked at him closely before nodding her head in agreement._

"_Do you like cookies?" he asked. A smile broke out on her little face. I went upstairs to find the clothes and when I came back down Rose was sitting on the floor attempting to feed her stuffed rabbit an oreo cookie. There were crumbs all over her face and she had dribbled milk onto her dress. She was so darling. It broke my heart that someone was out to get this precious little girl. Mark and I had tried for another child after Christian was born, but I had miscarried and scar tissue had made it impossible for me to conceive again. As I looked down at the beautiful little girl in front of me I realized that I'd been given a second chance. _

_End Flashback_

Thinking back to that day it was one of the best and worst of my life. I'd gained a daughter, but at what cost. We'd been running from our problems ever since. I only hoped that the dust had finally settled now that we had everything in place. All I'd ever wanted from since that day was to keep that wide eyed scared little girl safe and loved.

**So I hope that explains a little bit about how Rose came to be with the Ozeras and that they are not bad people. You'll find out more about her childhood in a bit next chapter will be Rose and Dimitri's date and Christmas. I really felt that this was the time to explain this because Dimitri found a birth certificate and I know you were all wondering how Rose met her family. Also I know many of you think he is being dense, but deep down he really doesn't want it to be her so he's pushing things out of his mind too quickly. You'll see it will all come together. Besides if he figures it out too quickly their romance won't have time to blossom=)**


	27. Chapter 27: First Date

**Chapter 27: First Date**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

I was sitting on the couch in the living room all ready to go on my first real date with Dimitri. Oh my God! My heart fluttered at the thought. He hadn't told me where we were going. All he said was to dress warm. I'd decided on brown corduroys with a red turtle necked sweater. So here I was waiting tapping my foot anxiously wearing my Northface, fuzzy boots, a pashmina scarf, two pair of gloves, two pair of socks and a cute knitted head warmer my mother had made me last Christmas.

"You look like a nervous Eskimo," Christian said entering the room carrying a bag of chips and a two liter of soda.

"I'm not nervous," I snapped. Brothers could be so annoying.

"Look if you don't want to go just call and tell him you changed your mind," he said.

"Why would I change my mind?" I asked.

"I dunno, he just doesn't seem like he's telling the truth. Don't you find it funny how he dated all those girls and now suddenly he just stops acting like a man whore?"

"Are you insinuating that he doesn't like me enough?" I asked jumping to my feet.

"No, no, it's not that. He'd be crazy not to fall in love with you Rosie. I just want you to be careful."

I sighed. He was just being overprotective like usual. Geez it was a good thing only had one brother to deal with. I couldn't imagine having more than one.

"Thanks, but I can handle myself," I replied.

"Well just in case he tries anything, I got you this," he said pulling a small canister out of his pocket handing it to me.

"What is this?" I asked just as the doorbell rang.

"Pepper spray," he said with a smirk.

"Oh my God! Christian you ass!" I cried stuffing the offensive canister into my satchel so Dimitri wouldn't see it.

Thankfully my mother answered the door.

"Hello Dimitri, how are you?" she asked pleasantly.

"I'm doing well," he replied as she allowed him into the house.

Damn he was hot in his gray jacket. He was wearing a green scarf and black gloves.

"Hi," he said spotting me next to the stairs.

"Hi," I breathed suddenly at a loss for words.

"These are for you," he said handing me a multi-colored bouquet of gerbera daisies.

I smiled. "These are really beautiful. Thank you."

"Here let me take those for you," my mother offered. "I'll put them in some water."

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. I nodded.

"Dimitri, it's good to see you," my father said descending the stairs.

"Thank you sir," Dimitri replied shaking his hand.

"Curfew's at ten," he reminded me.

"Eleven," my mother called from the kitchen earning a glare and a grunt from my father.

"Eleven," he corrected fearing the wrath of my mother if he didn't acquiesce.

"Thanks Daddy," I said kissing his cheek.

"Hey Belikov," Christian called from the living room.

"Yes," Dimitri responded politely.

"I'll be watching you," Christian said.

"You guys are so embarrassing," I cried shoving Dimitri out the door before Tasha came down and decided to sabotage me as well. I was surprised she hadn't already. She'd gotten in early this morning and had gone straight to her room slamming the door behind her. She hadn't come out since. Not that I minded, but still it was weird. She usually made a nuisance of herself especially around any boyfriends I'd ever had.

"Sorry about that. My brother doesn't know how to behave himself," I apologized.

"It's okay. He's just being a good brother and looking out for you," he responded with a chuckle.

"I always like to intimidate my younger sister Viktoria's boyfriends." Holy shit did he just call me his girlfriend?

"Boyfriend?" I questioned looking him in the eye as we fastened our safety belts.

He smiled taking my hand in his. "Boyfriend," he responded kissing it softly. I think I'd just died and gone to heaven. Dimitri just agreed to be my boyfriend.

"So where are we going?" I asked as we pulled out onto the street.

"You'll see," he said mischievously. As we drove I admired all of the different houses and their Christmas decorations.

"Hey look at that house," I laughed. It was so tacky, but definitely cool. They'd run gridded lights all over their rooftop and had hung gingerbread men and large ornaments from the big evergreen tree out front. The walkway was line with huge glowing candy canes and the front door was adorned with a large wreath complete with a big red bow. The bushes on either side of the house had colored lights and all of the windows sported them as well.

"Hansel and Gretel better watch out," I joked.

"It is a bit overdone," he agreed.

"Do you decorate in Russia?" I asked wanting to know more about his life at home.

"Yes, we have a tree and my mother usually hangs a wreath on the door. Easter is definitely a bigger holiday in Russia than Christmas, but we enjoy it just the same."

"So you go to church?" she asked.

"I do attend church with my mother, grandmother and sisters weekly," he stated.

"I go sometimes, but usually only on holidays."

"Have you been going since you came here?"

"I've been a few times. I would like to go on Christmas. Do the Dragomir's usually attend?"

"Yes, they usually do, but not the same church as us. They're Methodists and we are Catholics."

"I see," was all he said. By now we were turning into the parking lot of a huge ice arena.

"You like to skate don't you?" he asked with a worried expression on his face.

My face lit up. "I love it and I haven't been in a long time."

"Good, I am glad. I knew you liked sports so I figured you would be able to skate."

"I can," I reassured him. I was actually pretty good at it. Lissa, Mia and I had taken skating lessons as children.

Skating with him wasn't as easy as it looked. He was very tall and it was rather awkward, but he held my hand the entire time and I felt like I was floating on air. So much so that I wasn't watching where I was going and I tripped Dimitri. We tumbled towards the ground with me screaming all the way. I braced myself for impact against the cold ice, but instead I hit Dimitri. He had managed to somehow swivel us so that I would fall on top of him instead of the ice.

As he hit the ground hard, I heard him grunt in pain and then I was on top of him my hair fanning all around him as we landed face to face.

"Oh my God! Are you okay? I didn't mean to trip you," I cried thoroughly embarrassed that I'd caused such a disaster.

"It's okay Roza, it wasn't your fault."

"That had to have hurt. Are you in pain?" I asked looking him over.

"No, I've got a nice ice pack," he said with a smirk.

"Besides I rather enjoy being this close to you." With that he pulled me closer bringing our lips together so they were moving slowly in unison.

"You are definitely a girl worth falling for," he said pulling himself to his feet. Kill me now he's such a sweet talker.

"I really am sorry," I told him trying to hide the blush that had crept into my cheeks at his compliment.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. My face fell. Did he want to go home already? It was only eight. My mom extended my curfew until eleven. I hoped he wasn't having a bad time.

"If that's what you want," I said dejectedly.

"I think you misunderstood me," he said putting his finger under my chin lifting my face until our eyes met.

"I meant are you ready for part two of our date."

"Oh," I said sighing in relief.

"You didn't think I would give you up at eight o'clock," he said shaking his head.

"Oh no, I'm keeping you until ten fifty-nine."

"Deal," I told him.

He ended up taking me to a hole in the wall restaurant. I was a little scared when we ended up cutting through an alley to get into the place. It looked a little rundown and it was definitely not in the good part of town. I clung to Dimitri's side praying desperately that we didn't get mugged on the way in. What kind of place was he taking me to?

We finally reached the door and a bell rang as we entered. I was amazed at the inside. It was nothing like the shabby stores or alley that surrounded it. In fact it was very warm and homey. I couldn't quite place the smells coming from the kitchen, but in a matter of seconds a hostess began speaking rapidly in a tongue I was completely unfamiliar with.

Much to my surprise Dimitri responded back to her with ease which led me to believe that they were speaking Russian. It sounded really sexy rolling off his tongue, although I was entirely lost.

The girl smiled warmly at me. She looked to be in her early thirties.

"Roza, it is a pleasure to finally meet the girl that has stolen Dimka's heart."

"Dimka?" I questioned.

"That is my nickname in Russian," he explained.

"I come here all the time to brood about you and one day she finally asked why I looked so down. I told her it was because the girl I had feelings for had begun dating another man," he whispered.

"That's kind of sweet Comrade," I said loving the thought of him sitting here pining away for me.

"It's nice to meet you too Ivana," I told her reading her name off the tag on her shirt.

She led us to a small table in the corner.

"I wish I could cook for you. The house is full of chaos this close to the holidays, but this place feels like home to me. They have the best pelmeni, well next to my mama, that is."

His eyes sparkled as he explained each dish on the menu to me asking what I would like and not like.

A lot of it sounded good, but some things were a little strange. I told him order what he liked because I'd never tasted any of it.

Our first course was borsht, a thick soup. It was really good despite its odd coloring.

"Okay these are pelmeni, a beef dumpling. You will like these," he said dipping it in sour cream before offering it to me on a fork. I leaned forward taking a bite.

I moaned in appreciation as I savored the deliciousness of the dumpling.

"Wow these are really good," I complimented.

"What did you think of the black bread?" he asked taking a big bite of his.

"I love it."

"I can teach you to make it if you want," he said smearing a little more butter onto his bread and offering it to me.

"You cook?" I asked in surprise.

"I can. My mother taught me. She was tired of me eating her out of house and home saying I should be able to make my own food."

"With my appetite, she'd definitely make me cook then," I joked.

"When she sees how much you can put away, she's going to have a heart attack," he said with a huge smile. Wait did he say when? Does that mean he sees a future for us? Does he want me to meet his family? How would that work? They live in Russia.

"So what did you like best?" he asked as we sat in front of my house. It was quarter to eleven and we'd spent over two hours sampling all sorts of interesting dishes, most of which I would love to try again.

"Hmm I think I liked the pelmeni and the bliny the best," I told him remembering the delightful taste of the thin bliny pancakes soaked in buttery goodness.

"Although the bread pudding we had for dessert was excellent as well."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. That is one of my favorite places to go. I often go in when I am missing home. There's something to be said for being able to eat normal food and speak my own language, not that I don't enjoy American food."

"You miss your family. I get it. I don't know how I'd feel about being separated from my parents or Christian for a long period of time. Maybe I could do without seeing Tasha for a few years."

"So you don't have big plans to go away to university?" he asked.

"Not unless I get a brain transplant," I snorted.

"Roza, you're very smart. I can tell from the way you figure out the answers to things."

"Yea, try telling my teachers that especially Alto."

"Grades aren't everything."  
>"They are when you need a scholarship," I sighed. He gave me a sympathetic look.<p>

"It's almost eleven. I should walk you to the door," he said getting out of the car and opening my door for me.

"I had a really nice time tonight Comrade. Thank you for taking me out."

"You're welcome Roza and I had a wonderful time as well."

"Goodnight maya krasaveetsa," he murmured before capturing my lips with his. The kiss was brief, but conveyed deep emotions.

"Goodnight," I called before heading into the house with a big goofy grin on my face.

"Looks like someone had a good time," Tasha said closing the door to the fridge.

"I did," I told her.

"I'm happy for you Rose. He seems like a nice guy."

"Wait what? Who the hell are you and what have you done with my sister?" I asked putting my hand to her forehead to make sure she wasn't running a very high fever.

She rolled her eyes slapping my hand away. "I'm trying to be nice. It's my early New Year's resolution, plus I promised Daddy I wouldn't give you a hard time."

"Ah so they threatened to stop paying for school," I questioned knowingly.

"Actually the opposite. They said they'd send her to Africa," Christian piped in entering the kitchen with an empty glass.

"Shut up!" Tasha growled.

"They did not threaten to send you to Africa," I scoffed.

"No, but they did threaten to send her to live with Grandma."

"Christian!" Tasha wailed. "Stop it!"

"Really they did that? Why?"

"Oh come on Rosie, you know why. You know they've always favored you." I could tell she truly believed that.

"Oh come on Tasha. You got to go to Europe. You're away at a fancy private college. You've got your own car. Hell they won't even let me get a license and I'll probably end up living here and going to community college. Who do you think got the better deal?" I argued.

"You did! I didn't want to go away to school or to Europe, but they banished me because of you," she said tears leaking out of her eyes. They've always put you first and I just can't understand why," she cried pushing past Christian and I, rushing up the stair slamming the door to her room.

"Wow she gets stranger and stranger every time I see her," I told him shaking my head.

"Yea, she does," he agreed staring after her curiously.

**So how did you like their first date? I know I promised Christmas this chapter, but that will be next chapter. We're going to see how each family celebrates and what drama comes up when certain questions get asked. Review if you want them to have a second date=) Next update will be Thursday.**


	28. Chapter 28: Noel

**Chapter 28: Noel Noel**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Happy Christmas in September….=)**

RPOV

Two days after my date with Dimitri it was Christmas morning. We had gone to midnight mass last night so that we could wake up late and eat dad's famous pancakes in our pajamas.

"Do you think Santa came Rosie?" my dad asked as I walked into the kitchen rubbing my eyes sleepily wearing my ratty old bathrobe and snoopy slippers. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire was playing softly on the record player, yes we still had old LPs.

"Dad, we're all too old to believe in Santa," I told him rolling my eyes. He did this every year. They'd sign some of the presents from Mom and Dad and the rest were from Santa. Mom even used different paper. It was so corny, but I loved it. It made Christmas feel extra special.

"You're killing me Rosie. You realize you're my last baby bird to fly out of the nest. Throw me a bone will you?" He smiled as he held out a cup of hot cocoa as a peace offering. "If you're in the spirit then it will motivate the rest. I'm counting on you."

"Okay Dad, I can't wait to see what Santa brought me," I acquiesced giggling a little at the stupidity of it.

"That's my girl," he said ruffling my hair.

"Where are the others?" I asked noticing that we were the only two awake.

"Your mom was up late wrapping gifts so I let her sleep. You know your brother and sister will come down as soon as the pancakes are ready."

"Can I help?" I asked.

"Nope just sit down and I'll bring them to you," he said.

"Chocolate chips?"

"Do you have to ask?"

Ten minutes later there was a huge stack of pancakes in front of me and Mom, Christian and Tasha had wandered into the kitchen.

"Morning Rosie," Christian greeted.

"Merry Christmas," I said as my mother kissed my forehead and then greeted my father.

Tasha was actually pleasant at breakfast. She didn't even tease me with any fat jokes after I socked away eight pancakes with bacon and sausage.

When the table was cleared, we all gathered around the tree. It was traditional for one of us to hand out the gifts and then we would open them one at a time so everyone could see what it was.

Tasha was handing out gifts so she sat on the floor. Christian and I took the loveseat and mom and dad were on the couch.

"Wow this one is huge!" my father exclaimed as Tasha presented him with the bird house. We'd added her name to the card even though it was Christian, Dimitri and I who had put in the time to make it.

He opened it with a huge smile on his face. "This is fantastic thank you," he told us. "I can't wait until Spring when I can put some feed in it."

Mom got a little misty eyed when she opened the necklace I made her. Christian had carved her a small wooden box for it and Tasha has decorated it. She placed the necklace delicately inside the box admiring the adornments Tasha had added.

A gasp escaped my throat as I opened a homemade quilt that my mother made. I recognized that the squares used to be some of my old baby blankets and pieces of the sheets from my bed and old t-shirts.

"I'd forgotten I had Little Mermaid Sheets," I said snuggling my face into the blanket. There was a photo in the middle of our family on my birthday last year. We looked really happy even Tasha.

"This is amazing Mom. It must have taken you forever."

"I've been working on it a little at a time in preparation for you before you turn eighteen. Tasha has one just like it." I remembered her getting one similar to it a few years ago.

To my surprise I opened my gift from Tasha to reveal a really beautiful picture frame. It was silver and glittery with the word sisters written across the front. Inside it there was a photo of the two of us. I couldn't have been more than seven and she would have been eleven. I didn't remember the photo being taken, but we looked silly smiling at the camera with our snow cones and neon colored sunglasses that were way too big for our faces. We must have been at some sort of carnival. There was a Carousel in the background.

"Tasha this is beautiful," I told her.

"Yea well, I just wanted you to know that we weren't always fighting," she said trying hard not to show any emotions.

I leaned forward hugging her tightly. Her body went rigid at first, but after a few seconds she relaxed and hugged me back. I couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged me if ever. Today was definitely full of mother looked ecstatic at the idea of us getting along. She'd been wishing for it for years.

Dad and I gave Christian a bean bag set so he could play bags with his friends. I had sewn the beanbags with fabric from the Oregon Ducks and stuffed them with dried pinto beans. Dad had painted their logo onto the wooden boards as well.

"These are sweet!" he cried. "Wait until the guys see these. They'll be so jealous."

When all the gifts had been opened I started collecting the paper in a big garbage bag.

"Hey there's one more gift back there," my mother called fishing a very small box out from the back of the tree.

"It's for you Rose," she said.

"Who is it from?" I'd already opened gifts from my parents, Tasha, Christian and a pretty silver charm bracelet from Santa.

"I don't know. It doesn't have a tag," she said handing it to me. I opened the lid to the small box and found a set of keys inside.

"This is a weird gift," I muttered. I saw a card underneath them.

It said:

**Have Fun! Drive Safe. Love, Mom & Dad**

My eyes widened and I shrieked.

"Oh my God! Really?" I cried.

"Really," my mother said.

"Thank you thank you thank you," I continued to shriek hugging both my parents tightly.

CPOV

Christmas was surreal at our house this year. Tasha was actually nice after her puzzling comments the other night. On top of that Mom and Dad finally gave in and were going to let Rose get her driver's license. Those two things in itself were bizarre, but where in the hell did Tasha get that picture of her and Rose? I had never seen a photo of any of us at that age. I decided that it was time to investigate. I may not remember the fire that burnt down our house, but I do remember mom saying we lost everything.

So while mom was busy cooking and dad was out giving Rose a driving lesson, I climbed the stairs to the attic and quietly pulled down the ladder. It was musty and very dirty up there, but I managed to hoist myself up pulling the steps up behind me. I didn't want anyone barging in on my investigation.

Too many things did not add up. Why was Tasha so resentful of Rose? Why were there no photos of us before Junior high and even then they were few and far between and why is it that both Rose and I seem to have had our memories wiped clean before age 6? This was my life and I wanted answers.

The attic was typical for what I thought an attic should look like. There were many boxes covered in thick layers of dust. Cobwebs hung in the corners and I had to duck to avoid hitting the wooden ceiling beams. I knew no one would come looking for me for at least a good hour so I decided to start on the far end and work my way forward.

The first few boxes I opened were full of junk. I recognized my old little league uniform and some trophies that we had gotten over the years for contests and stuff. There were many boxes filled with old Halloween costumes and things. I recognized my batman costume from when I was ten. None of it was useful, so I closed them back up. After going through numerous boxes filled with old school report cards, insurance paperwork and dads old teaching supplies, I decided to call it quits. There was nothing up here that seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe I was just reading into things that didn't mean anything.

I was about to walk to where the ladder was when I tripped over a large wooden crate. I figured one more wouldn't hurt so I sat down and pulled off the cover. Inside were what looked like family photo albums. I pulled the first one out and opened it up. Much to my amazement it read Natasha Clarice Ozera. It had her date of birth, an ultrasound photo and pictures of my mother holding her in the hospital as a newborn. The album went on to detail the first ten years of her life. This couldn't be! They said we'd lost everything in the fire.

I set the album down and pulled out the second one. It read Christian Thomas Ozera. It was much the same as Tasha's except that it stopped at my seventh birthday. It was funny because sitting here looking at pictures of what was supposed to be my life, it felt as if I was looking at a stranger. I didn't remember any of the things that happened in these photos. I didn't remember Christmases or birthdays or the dumb fuzzy lamb costume my mother had dressed me in for the kindergarden play. This was unbelievable. Why would they lie to us?

I reached back into the box figuring Rose's album was next, but came up empty handed. There was no third album. Instead there was a small hatbox. I pulled it out and dusted it off. The top came off easily. The contents of the box confused me. I pulled out a child's dress. It was faded and purple. There were holes in it and it was stained. Underneath it was a tattered old stuffed rabbit and a lone photograph. It was Rose at age six. She was sitting on the floor wearing the old dress feeding a cookie to the rabbit. Her face was dirty and streaked with tearstains, but she looked content.

I put the stuff back into the box and rummaged around a little more uncovering a whole box full of photos of the three of us. They had indeed taken photos of us as children, but had hidden them away in a large box way up here in the attic. What the hell for? Why were there huge albums of Tasha and I and only one photo of Rose before age six?

"Christian dinner is ready!" I heard my mother calling for me. I quickly stuffed everything I'd found back into the boxes except for the photo of Rose. That I put into the pocket of my hoodie before sneaking down the stairs and pushing the ladder back up where it belonged.

"What the hell happened to you?" Rose's voice startled me as I was about to enter my room.

"What do you mean?" I asked trying to sound unconcerned.

"You're filthy," she exclaimed pointing to my clothes which were indeed covered in dirt.

"Ugh, you smell like grandma," she groaned referring to the musky mothball smell I'd acquired while digging in the attic.

"Whatever, tell Mom I'll be down in ten," I said slamming the door to my room. I pulled the photo out of my pocket and stuck it in between the pages of a book on my desk before shedding my clothing for a quick shower.

I didn't know what they were hiding, but one thing is for sure. Something bad happened and they were covering it up. The question was what is the secret and if our house supposedly burned down then why is all the stuff they said had burned sitting up in our attic and did Tasha know something? I was determined to find out and Tasha was going to tell me the truth one way or another.

APOV

"What?" I growled as someone knocked on the door to my room for the umpteenth time.

"I want to be alone."

"Adrian, you have to come out of there. It's Christmas morning. I know you're hurting, but please don't shut me out."

It pained me to hear my wife pleading from the other side of the door, but I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I'd locked the door early this morning and had imbibed far too much vodka afterwards. It wasn't so much that I didn't want to get up and let her in, it was more that the entire room was spinning in circles and if I moved I would surely lose my stomach.

A half an hour later I lie there wallowing in my guilt while she took the door off the hinges. She's done it so many times before she was a pro. She actually started timing herself. I think her personal best was a minute and a half.

I hated doing this to her, but I just couldn't take it anymore. Memories of that day haunted me consistently. If only I'd called my father earlier or insisted she take me with then maybe I could have done something to stop her.

I felt the bed dip as she climbed in next to me just like she had all those years ago.

"I'm sorry," I croaked. "I don't mean to be such a fuck up."

"Shhh, baby you're not. It's not your fault. You can't keep torturing yourself. Janine was sick and you were ten years old. You were a child. There was nothing you could have done. Do you understand?"

Her words made sense, but for some reason I couldn't believe it. It just didn't make sense to me. First my mother dies. She was a good person despite being unfaithful to my father. She loved me and took care of me. She didn't deserve to die young. And my sister, God she was just a child. Who knew what horrors she'd suffered back then and what she was going through now. That is if she really was alive. I knew I was deluding myself into believing that somehow she'd been dropped off with one of these families here in Astoria and was safe, but in reality, she had probably died long ago or she was living on the streets somewhere. The thought of either of those things chilled me to the bone.

"Babe how about we get you out of bed and into the shower and then I'll make some coffee." We'd been lying in silence for the past hour and I knew it was time for me to start acting like a man and celebrate this dread holiday with my family and friends. I'd much have preferred to drive a fork through my eye.

I nodded absently allowing her to do as she normally did pulling me out of bed and helping me strip off my clothes.

"Why do you put up with me? I don't deserve you." I was such a worthless loser, it was a wonder she didn't file for divorce.

Her lips curved into the beautiful smile I'd fallen in love with.

"You are a wonderful man and I am so lucky to have you. Times will be tough, but our love is strong. We can make it through anything. We've proved that time and again. Now get in that shower and I'll brew you some strong coffee," she told me swatting my behind playfully.

"Yes mam," I said dutifully hauling ass to the shower.

"Swallow the pills I left for you on the counter," she ordered before leaving me to myself. She was too good for me. I hoped she never figured that out.

Twenty minutes later I sat at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of coffee and some plain white toast in front of me.

"Is you tummy upset?" she asked knowing full well that I'd been retching all morning.

"Ugh," I groaned glaring at the offensive toast in front of me.

"It's okay. You can eat later," she said finishing scrambling some eggs on the stove.

"Adrian, Avery," Aunt Tatiana greeted us as she entered the kitchen. She was my mother's sister and was probably in her early forties. She'd never married, but enjoyed the company of a young man who worked at the nail salon in town. He was many years her junior, but seemed to make her happy.

"Auntie," I said rising to give her a kiss on the cheek. She was a saint for putting up with my bullshit these past few weeks. She knew why I was here and had been very good about not mentioning my bad habits like smoking in the house and drinking like a fish. She should have kicked me out by now, but I was her only nephew and since she didn't have children of her own she'd always taken to spoiling me. I think she also missed my mother dearly.

We spent the rest of the afternoon opening gifts and making small talk. I knew there was nothing I could buy that would make up for my shortcomings as a husband, but I did enjoy the happy look on her face when Avery opened tickets to see the Lion King in 3D over the weekend.

She was a sucker for Disney movies and she'd never seen one in the theaters and this was one of her favorites.

"You always know how to make a girl cry," she whispered tears falling from her eyes at my simple gesture. We already had everything money could buy so for Christmas we usually tried to find something we could do together. Last year I'd taken her to the Opera in Paris. She'd been dying to go and it wasn't really my thing, but I wanted her to be happy so I'd given in and purchased tickets. It wasn't half bad and seeing her happy made me feel happy.

"I didn't know what do get you since you're here and I'm not," she said handing me an envelope.

I opened it to reveal an apartment lease.

"You rented an apartment?" I asked. She nodded.

"I don't want to be away from you anymore so I rented a small flat on the other side of town."

"You're serious? You're moving here? What about school?" I asked incredulously. She'd already given up so much to be with me. I felt guilty asking her to do more.

"School can wait. I belong with you. I love you Adrian and I miss you. I want to be here for you every step of the way and if that means living here in this small town if bufu Oregon, then I'm all in," she said wrapping her arms around me tightly.

"There aren't words to describe how wonderful you are," I breathed pulling her closer capturing her lips with my own.

DPOV

My hands shook nervously as I put the finishing touches on Rose's gift. I really hoped she liked it. We'd risen early this morning to attend church services and then come home to a huge brunch and opened gifts. As usual the Dragomirs had overspent.

Lissa was pleased with her upgraded version of the IPAD and new sound system for her car. Andree received a set of very expensive golf clubs and I'd nearly wet myself when I opened my gift. It was three round trip tickets for my family to come and visit me from Russia.

"This is too much," I exclaimed explaining that I was unable to accept such a generous gift.

"Nonsense, you've been the perfect house guest and it has got to be killing your mother to be away from you. I've already spoken with her. She told me that she, your grandmother and your siter Viktoria would be able to make it here next month.

"I don't know how to thank you," I responded, the gift card for a nice restaurant that I'd gotten them was put to shame by their generosity. In reality, I was a little nervous about bringing my family here. They had no idea what type of case I was working on or whom I was working for.

I feared that if they came it would be hard for them to keep up the charade I was trying so desperately to keep in place. I needed to call home and fast, but first I was going to head over to Roza's to give her the gift.

I waited patiently on the doorstep after ringing the bell. It was nearly eight o'clock and I knew from her texts that they had finished dinner about an hour ago. I hadn't wanted to interrupt their family time.

The door opened and it was Tasha that let me in.

"Hello Dimitri," she said pleasantly.

"Tasha, it's good to see you again. Merry Christmas," I said trying my hardest to be polite.

"I'll go get Rose," she stated. That was odd. She didn't seem to be up to her old tricks.

"Hey," Rose said her eyes lighting up as she came down the stairs. She was dressed casually in jeans and a cranberry colored v-necked sweater. Her hair was pulled up in a long wavy ponytail. It didn't matter what she wore, she was always devastatingly beautiful.

"Merry Christmas," I said hugging her tightly.

"S Rozhdestvom Kristovym," she said in perfect Russian.

"Where did you learn that?" I gaped at her in awe.

"From Ivana. I called her up and asked her. It took her pronouncing it like two hundred times, but I finally got it." She beamed at me.

"That was very sweet of you," I told her. Hearing her speak Russian was a huge turn on.

"Do you want to go sit by the tree?" she asked. I nodded following her into the living room. Their tree was real and decorated with tons of homemade ornaments and mountains of tinsel.

"I assume that is your doing?" I asked pointing to the tree.

"Yup, isn't it fabulous?"

"Yes, just like you." That caused her to smile and her eyes to dance.

"So I have something for you," I said clearing my throat as I pulled the box out from behind the couch where I'd set it.

"Comrade, you didn't have to do that," she said softly.

"I wanted to. Open it," I urged.

"Well I never say no to a gift. It would be rude." She took the box and tore off the paper.

The look on her face was priceless.

"You bought make-up?" she asked quizzically a smirk breaking out on her face.

"Yes, I braved the make-up counter at the mall just for you," I admitted.

"Did I ever tell you that you're a great catch?" she asked kissing my cheek.

"I believe it's come up once or twice." I so loved it when she kissed me.

"So you like it? I didn't get the wrong colors did I?"

"I love it!" she said emphasizing it. "Love it!" The happy look on her face warmed my heart.

"So," she said getting up off the couch. "I have something for you too."

I raised my eyebrow at her as she fished around behind the tree. I hadn't expected her to have had the time to think about a gift for me. We'd only been together such a short time.

"Here it is," she announced thrusting a small box at me.

I opened the lid revealing a tiny cowboy figurine. It was all made of clay. He was wearing a duster, cowboy boots with spurs and a cowboy hat. In tiny silver letters across the brim of the hat it read: My Russian Comrade.

"Did you make this?" I asked.

She nodded. "That's the rule. It has to be home made. It's an ornament," she showed me the tiny hook at the top.

"Thank you," I told her. "I can't wait to hang it on the tree."

**Wow almost four thousand words, you guys lucked out today. So the question of the day is was there a fire or wasn't there? Tell me what you think? I think Sparky is getting too close don't you? I hope to update on Saturday, but it may be in the wee hours of the morning. I have a first birthday, a bachelorette party and my ten year high school reunion all in one night. Yikes! **


	29. Chapter 29: Memories

**Chatpter 29: Memories**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Okay Okay don't kill me. I know I said I'd update yesterday, but I was bad and stayed out way too late. Sorry for the late update, but I made it longer just for you.**

TPOV

"Christian what the hell!" I cried as my brother came barging into my bedroom without knocking late on Christmas day.

I'd been lying on my bed wallowing in self pity yet again. As usual Rose had gotten all of the attention when mom and dad decided to let her get her license. I wondered briefly how they were going to swing that. They must have gotten fake documentation for her. I know they'd been trying for a long time. It was one of the reasons we never had any money. I'll bet they spent their life savings just so she could drive and get a job and go to college. They never did any of that for me.

They'd practically forced me out of the house, sending me away to school and made me take out loans to pay for it. How rude was that? I was their first born and their only real daughter, yet I continued to be punished for something I had no control over. Sometimes I wished Rose had never come into our lives or that mom would have left her on the side of the road that day we found her at the mall.

I'll have to admit though, back then I loved the idea of having a sister so when mom and dad sat me down and explained why I had to pretend that Rose was my real sister and I could never ever tell anyone how we found her, I was ecstatic. I used to dress her up and play dolls with her and we'd play house, things that Christian wouldn't play with me because he was a boy. Then it happened though. I was too young at the time to understand much of what was going on behind the scenes, but looking back on it, I realized just how much danger having Rose around had brought for us.

Shortly after we'd brought her home my parents began acting funny like someone was watching us. They were always paranoid and we stopped going out of the house. They even refused to let us start school when September came around.

I watched anxiously one day as they packed up a bunch of stuff in boxes and drove away with it. I always wondered what happened to that stuff. When I asked what they were doing, my mother told me we were moving, but I couldn't tell anyone. She then packed the three of us up in the van and drove us over to Grandma's. I remember wondering why we were suddenly living at Grandma's, but it was fun and she baked us cookies and took us to the park and let us stay up late watching movies so what did I care? I was having a blast.

A little over a month passed and Mom and Dad started taking the boxes they'd packed and driving them places. Shortly after they told us we were moving to a new house. It was thirty minutes across town and it had all new furniture. I remember Christian crying and throwing a fit because he didn't have his old race car bed with his batman sheets. I noticed that nothing in our house was the same and that a lot of things were missing like photo albums and portraits that used to be on the walls, knick knacks and some of our clothes. My bed was new and mom made let me pick out brand new bedding and curtains.

When I'd questioned them on what had happened to all our old stuff, they sat us down and explained that there had been a fire at our old house and everything had been lost. Christian cried because all his toys were gone. Rose didn't seem to have any sort of reaction, but I was pissed. All of my things were gone too, but I was too old to cry like a baby about it. It just made me mad.

A few months after we moved Dad got a new job at the new high school. We never saw any of our old friends and the only family members we saw were Grandma and Aunt Celeste. Mom said it was because Rose needed to be protected from the bad people.

It was around that time that Rose began acting funny. She's been perfectly normal for the first few months she was with us, but after the move to the new house she began having fits in the middle of the night. I remember waking up to her screaming and crying out in a language I couldn't understand. Mom and Dad were really worried when it didn't stop. It only got worse and worse and when they tried to comfort her she'd scream bloody murder like someone was killing her. I remembered doctors coming in and out at all hours of the day or night trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

After a while she calmed down. When we were older though I realized she had no memories from the time before we moved into the new house. She only spoke English after that having forgotten her native tongue. My brother didn't remember a lot of his childhood either, but his memory loss was for a different reason.

A few months after we moved mom and dad had to go somewhere and left me in charge of Christian and Rose. Rose was throwing one of her fits and I was trying to calm her down. I came out of my room just in time to witness Christian falling down the stairs. He'd decided he wanted to be superman so he'd taken a sheet and tied it around his neck thinking he'd be able to fly down the long steep staircase. I watched in horror as he got a running start and took a flying leap head first down the stairs. He cried out as he hit his head numerous times before landing with a sickening thud at the bottom. With a screaming Rose in my arms, I flew down the stairs to where his little body was lying covered in blood. He was unconscious. I put Rose down and flew for the phone calling 911 and then trying my parent's cell phone.

When I came back to where Christian was Rose was lying quietly next to him with her little arms wrapped around his bloody body. She was singing to him. I didn't understand the words, but it sounded like a lullaby. I was too freaked out to touch him. He looked dead. The paramedics showed up two minutes before our parents and everything after that was a blur. Dad grabbed Rose and we all piled in the car. Mom had gone with Christian in the ambulance.

Because of his hyper anemia he'd lost a lot of blood. He's suffered some internal bleeding in his brain and was rushed into emergency surgery to relieve the swelling. I had never felt so scared in my life. I just kept thinking if Rose hadn't been making such a fuss, then I would have been able to stop him before he did it. It was all her fault. In fact from that day on everything was her fault and I began to resent her.

Christian eventually came out of his coma, but with severe memory loss that would probably never come back. He barely remembered us and as the years went on he and Rose became inseparable. I felt like the odd man out as far as siblings went so I decided that Rose needed to pay for wrecking our family. I did everything I could to make her unhappy and to sabotage he. I did bad things around the house like flooding the bathroom and stealing mom's expensive jewelry and putting it in Rose's room and then telling on her.

Nothing worked though. Mom never got mad at Rose or punished her for any of the things I did to try to set her up. She just smiled and told Rose that if there was anything she wanted to borrow, she needed to ask first.

If I had been caught doing any of those things, I would have been grounded, spanked and sent to bed right after dinner, but no not their precious little Rosie. She could do no wrong in their eyes and it was still like that. When she and Mia had taken my parent's car for a joy ride to Canada when they were fourteen, I doubted they would punish her, but then they used that as an excuse for her not to get her license and it gave me some sort of sick satisfaction.

Dad had lit into me at Thanksgiving this year after I'd dumped the gravy all over Rose's precious delicate skin. He told me that if I didn't start accepting the fact that Rose was part of our family and always would be then I would no longer be welcome in their house. I'd gone straight back to school crying my eyes out. How could they choose her over me? I was their flesh and blood. I decided the only thing I could do was to try and suck it up and be nice to her so I'd made that photo frame in an attempt to show my parents I was trying.

I hated that no matter what I did to her Rose was always so forgiving. She never tried to do mean things back. She wasn't even going to tell on me about the gravy, but then my stupid brother ratted me out choosing Rose over me. I got that he had no idea that they weren't blood related, but it still irked me that he chose to defend her instead of me. So when he came knocking on my door, I was a little worried.

"What do you want?" I asked looking up from the magazine I'd been reading.

"Answers," he said with stern face closing the door behind him. Uh oh this could not be good.

"About what?" I asked sighing heavily.

"Did our house really burn down?" he questioned skeptically. I tried to maintain a straight face, but in reality I was shitting myself scared. What did he know and why was he asking about this all of the sudden?

"Yes, why?" I asked.

"I found boxes of old baby pictures and things up in the attic. If those things were supposed to have burned in the fire, then why are they hidden away in a big dusty crate up there?" Shit that was a damn good question.

My eyes widened. So that is what happened to the boxes mom and dad had packed up. I always wondered where they went and what they had packed in there.

I shrugged trying to act casual. "Those things were probably at Grandma's you know duplicate albums and such."

"Well why were there only two? Rose's album is missing. All I could find was this one photo." He pulled out an old photo. It had to have been taken that day we brought her home because she was wearing that dirty old dress and had that sad little tattered rabbit in her hands.

I shrugged. "You know the third kid always gets jipped on that kind of thing. It's always fun for the first kid and then you were a boy so you were their first born son, but Rose was just the third in line. Plus she came along so fast after you that mom was probably too busy to start one," I fibbed.

He looked at me uncertainly. I prayed to God he's buy my story. All I needed was to spill the beans to him and mom and dad would certainly exile me for the rest of my life. Plus, I didn't want him to hate me for keeping the secret from him all these years. I hated lying to him, but it was for his own good. He didn't need the burden of keeping all the secrets and lies that I had been for years. It was a lot of pressure and sometime I thought about just blurting things out and getting it out in the open. However, I had enough sense to know that it would only bring more danger and pain upon us than anything. Mom and dad would be furious with me and I didn't want that so I remained silent. And as much as I resented Rose, I didn't want her dead. I didn't want the bad people to find her because of my big mouth.

"Well then why did they tell us that the photos were lost?" he asked, which was a reasonable question.

"They probably forgot they were up there. They just moved a ton of shit from Grandma's and they had three kids to deal with and dad got a new job, plus all the money it had to have cost to start over again."

I really hoped he wouldn't ask anything more. I'd become a really good liar over the years, but he was smart and I didn't want him catching on. He was already too close to finding out the truth. As I'd gotten older, I'd begun to suspect that my parents had purposely set fire to the house to cover their tracks from whoever was looking for Rose. I never dared ask, but I was pretty sure that is what had transpired. Knowing that those albums were up there in the attic just proved my theory had been correct. Yet another reason I resented Rose. She'd turned my parents into arsonists.

"Why the hell don't I remember any of this?" he asked. I could tell he was trying desperately to put the pieces together, but he was missing vital information. Just a few small words and I could help him figure it out, but I just couldn't.

"Crissy, it was a rough time for all of us and you and Rose were so young. You shouldn't worry so much. It's been a long time and you guys are doing just fine now, so relax will you? You'll get gray hair and wrinkles before you're twenty at the rate you're going," I teased trying to steer him away from the topic. He was my brother and I loved him and I didn't want to cause him anymore pain.

I could see him wrestling internally trying to figure out if I was telling the truth and if he should drop it.

"Why do you hate Rose so much?" he asked. Oh brother, this was not going well.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to me.

"I don't hate Rose." That was true. I didn't hate her. I blamed her for everything that had gone wrong in my life and I resented that she came into our family, but I didn't really hate her.

"Why are you so damn mean to her all the time?" he asked.

I shook my head. "You're a guy, you wouldn't understand," I told him hoping he'd leave it alone.

"Try me," he said crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.

I huffed in annoyance. He never could leave well enough alone.

"She's the baby Christian. She's always gotten all the attention and I'm jealous. You know Mom and Dad favor her don't you?"

"Well yea, I guess, but still. Rose has never done anything to you and you keep doing these awful things to her."

"Well Christian it's time you learned a thing or two about women. They can be catty and mean and stubborn. I don't mean to do those things. It's just that when I'm around her I get so jealous that I can't think straight. I mean come on, guys are always drooling over her, she's got tons of friends and now she's dating Dimitri. I can't catch a break. I haven't had a boyfriend in two years and when I do they turn out to be pigs."

He grimaced as I said that. "What?" I asked.

"Do you really give blow jobs for twenty bucks?" he asked. My eyes widened. Adrian must have spilled the beans about what I said to him at Thanksgiving.

"Ugh," I groaned. "I was just trying to piss Rose off," I told him. I might be a lot of things, but a whore wasn't one of them. Sure I'd been with guys before, but only ones that I was dating and that I liked.

"So you don't go around charging?" he asked looking hopeful.

"No, God you guys really think I'm some sort of hooker?" I gasped not believing my own brother would think that about me. I should have figured though. Everyone was always so willing to believe the worst of me.

He shrugged. "Well you did say that to him."

"I know, but I was kidding. I'm not a whore," I tried assuring him.

"Good, I'm really glad to hear that," he said. He looked really relieved.

"So what do you say we have one of our campouts like we used to?" I asked referring to when we were younger and we all dragged our sleeping bags into the living room, watched old Christmas movies, ate ice cream sundaes and slept in front of the tree.  
>"Sounds like a plan," he said forgetting all about why he came up here, thank God.<p>

"Should we get Rose?" he asked.

I nodded. I really was going to try to be nicer to her. After all it wasn't her fault that her crazy mother had abandoned her. I had to keep thinking of it like that. As much as I resented her for taking away my mother's attention from me, at least I knew my mother loved me enough to keep me around. Her mother had just dumped her off with strangers in a shopping mall.

"Do you think she's done sucking face with her new boy toy?" I asked with a smirk. I had left them downstairs a little over an hour ago.

He made a face. "Don't remind me. There's something about that guy I just don't like," he said. I couldn't understand that. As far as I could tell Dimitri Belikov was a polite, handsome, upstanding guy. Once again that is why I was jealous of her.

"You get the sleeping bags and I'll go get Rose," I told him. He nodded in agreement.

I knocked on Rose's door and there was no answer, so I opened it anyways. She was lying on her back on her bed with her IPOD playing.

"Rose," I called loudly. I think I scared her because she jumped about a mile.

"Hey Tasha, you scared the hell out of me," she said removing her ear buds.

"Did you need something?" she asked.

"Uh yea, Chrissy and I were just going downstairs to have one of our campouts like we used to. Are you in?" I asked.

She eyed me carefully before responding. "You really want me to come?"

"Sure, I mean it wouldn't be tradition if you weren't there." Her face curved into a small smile.

"Sounds like fun. Let me get into my PJ's and I'll meet you guys down there."

I left her to her business and went to change as well.

Twenty minutes later we were all snuggled up in our sleeping bags. Rose had made chocolate sundaes and Christian popped some pop-corn while I found our old copy of "A Christmas Story".

We laughed and mimicked the familiar lines like we used to before falling asleep beside the tree.

**So how about that? The Ozera's burned down their own house. Do you think Christian will be placated by his sister's lies? Who feels sorry for Tasha? Up next a wedding, some more about Avery and Adrian and soon we will hear from Abe. Please review. **


	30. Chapter 30: Slip Up

**Chapter 30: Slip Up**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

AveryPOV

"Dammit," I muttered entirely unimpressed with the plethora of information on the internet. So far all I'd managed to find out was that the Oksana Ozera did indeed give birth to a daughter named Rosalie and that their house had in fact burned down. There had been a small blip in an old newspaper about a house fire starting from a faulty air conditioning unit.

Who was I kidding? This was getting me nowhere. I think I wanted it to be her so we could stop looking. I wanted Adrian to have his happy ending. If Rosalie Ozera turned out to be his sister then all would be well. She was alive, lived a good life with a nice family and she and Adrian got along swimmingly. Again who was I kidding? If she was the one that would cause even more problems. If it was her then how in the hell did she come to live with the Ozeras? Why hadn't either of the children slipped up and mentioned it? Obviously she wasn't in the know so what the hell had happened to wipe out the first six years of her life?

The answer was obvious. It wasn't her! Just when I thought I had it that damn birth certificate had to surface. When I first looked it up I couldn't find it, but I realized I must have typed something in wrong because I tried again the next day and it was there plain as day. Why couldn't I catch a break? I'd been working on this non-stop for the past month and was still coming up empty handed.

Today was Saturday and we had a wedding to attend tonight. A good friend of Auntie Tatiana's Mikhail Tanner was getting married. We were invited to the wedding along with the Ozeras. I'd been observing Rose since I'd met her at the Christmas party and so far she seemed like any normal American teenage girl. She seemed to only speak English and very broken French as I'd looked at some of her papers I came across while snooping through the teacher's classrooms digging for information.

Adrian and I had run into her and Dimitri at the movie theater two weeks ago. Adrian had bought me tickets to see a special showing of the Lion Kind in 3D and apparently that is where Dimitri had planned to take Rose on a date.

Flashback

"_Do you want popcorn or should we get snow caps?" Adrian asked as we approached the concession stand. _

"_Get both and we can pour the snow caps into the popcorn and they'll be all melted," I told him with a smile. I knew he liked them that way and I usually complained because it made such a mess, but I wanted him to enjoy himself. God knows he deserved a little fun after the hell of the past few weeks._

"_You'd better stop being so nice to me or I'm going to get spoiled," he said handing his credit card to the boy behind the register. _

"_I love spoiling you," I told him kissing his cheek softly. _

_I liked to sit in the back of the theater so we filed into the last row. We'd gotten there about twenty minutes before the show started so we didn't have to sit in the front. _

"_Hey Little Cupcake!" Adrian called out waving his hands excitedly as Rose and Dimitri entered the theater. Dimitri was carrying two large sodas and Rose had a tray full of snacks in her hands. _

"_Hey Adrian," she called out happily unable to wave due to the tray in her hands._

"_Come sit by us," he invited. _

"_Are you sure? I mean aren't you on a date?" she asked. _

"_I don't mind. The more the merrier," I stated making them feel welcome. She was his friend and I wanted to spy on her anyways so the more opportunities I had to talk to her in person the better. _

_She sat down next to Adrian and Dimitri next to her. I hadn't brought my theories up to him yet because he'd probably found the same information as I had. I wanted to wait and see if I had anything solid before I brought it up. _

"_You a big fan of Disney movies Belikov?" Adrian teased earning himself a glare. _

"_Actually I've never seen one," he replied. _

"_Really, where did you live under a rock?" Rose joked. _

"_Baia is not under a rock," he countered scowling. They made a really cute couple._

"_Well it's not on the map so I'd say it's in the middle of an arctic wasteland," she snorted. _

_He rolled his eyes at her and I couldn't help but smirk at her logic. She was right though it wasn't on the map. _

"_So what kinds of treats do you have there? Belikov must be broke!" Adrian laughed at his own rude comment._

"_Haha, jerk!" she said smacking him upside the head. I would have done the same._

" _Dimitri wanted licorice and I've got popcorn and snow caps. I like to mix them," she said with a devilish grin. Dimitri wrinkled his nose in disgust. I was with him on that one._

"_No kidding, me too! I knew there was a reason we got on so well. Hey how about this. We'll mix up one bucket and let the two sticks in the mud share the plain one," he suggested. _

"_Hey, I am not a stick in the mud," I protested playfully._

"_You just don't like to admit it darling, but you are," he said putting his arm around my shoulder._

"_So Rose, have you thought about any schools for next year?" I asked hoping to shed some light on her future plans. _

_She grimaced. "I'm not good at school. I'll probably just hang around here and go to the community college."_

"_School is highly overated," Adrian sad no doubt trying to make her feel better. He hadn't liked school one bit and had dropped out after two years. I was pretty upset as was Abe because he had a straight A average. He was the kid who had been a trouble maker all through grade school simply because he was so intelligent that he was bored. _

"_You're very smart Roza. You just need to apply yourself," Dimitri told her giving Adrian a dirty look._

"_Eh who cares, we don't have the money to send me to school anyways. It's better to let Christian go. He's going to get scholarships and stuff. He's a genius." _

_The movie previews began not giving me much time to ask her anything else._

"_That was a great movie," I commented when it was over. It was truly remarkable what they could do with special effects these days. I had actually never been to an American movie theater before although I'd been to the Gaumont in Paris many times._

"_I'm glad you enjoyed it my love," Adrian whispered nibbling on my ear._

_I cleared my throat. "We're in public." _

"_So what, we're married," he said low enough so only I could hear it. _

"_That doesn't mean other people want to see us make out," I said pulling away._

"_I love it when you play hard to get. It's such a turn on." _

"_Adrian, you're such a pig," I gasped unnerved that he would be so open in front of his friends._

"_Eh, they're not paying any attention to us."_

_He was right. I looked over to catch a glimpse of the happy couple in a lip lock. _

_I acquiesced to my husband's request and allowed myself to melt into his kiss for a short while. _

"_So do you guys want to grab a bite?" I suggested. I knew it would please Adrian, but it would also further my ulterior motive by giving me more time to probe her with questions._

_Dimitri looked at Rose to give the final answer._

"_Sounds good to me if you're okay with it Comrade," she agreed._

"_Whatever you want," he said taking her hand in his. Damn he really did fall hard for her._

_We ended up at a place called TGI Fridays. _

"_This place has the absolute best fried appetizer plate," Adrian said ordering up a sampler right away. _

_He always did have a taste for unhealthy foods even though his father employed a chef. _

"_Come on babe, you know you love fried mushrooms," he said knowing they were my weakness. _

"_With garlic sauce?" I asked my interest peaked._

_He nodded. _

"_Okay then, I guess I will have some," I agreed._

"_You guys are really funny," Rose commented. _

"_So Rose tell me about yourself," I said. "Adrian here has told me you're on the cross country team and such. Did you always like to run?"_

"_Uh, yea, I guess. It's sort of a stress reliever."_

"_Are you stressed often?" _

"_Yea, you know school and stuff. My sister can also be a real jerk sometimes," she added. Dimitri squeezed her hand supportively._

"_So you said you have a sister and a brother?" _

"_Yep, Tasha is twenty-one and Christian is ten months older than me." _

"_Wow, that is very rare. Usually a woman can't conceive for at least two to three months after giving birth." I commented. That in itself was strange._

"_Yea, I guess my parents were just horny," she said blushing. That or they're feeding you a line of bull, I thought to myself. _

"_Have you always lived in Astoria?" _

"_Pretty much as far back as I can remember. We moved to our new house when I was six or so after a fire burned down our old one." I was disappointed that so far her answers confirmed what I had found out online._

"_So are you close to your family?" Dimitri gave me a weird look like he knew where I was going with this. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he wasn't happy that I was interrogating his girlfriend._

"_Very close. My dad and I are pretty tight and Christian and I are best friends. Tasha is well Tasha," she said munching on a mozzarella stick as our appetizer had arrived. _

"_Do you have a lot of extended family?" _

"_Not really, just my grandmother and my Aunt." _

_Adrian gave me a pointed look that told me he wanted me to stop, but I couldn't help myself._

"_So you're family is pretty tall. Where did you get your height from?" Adrian kicked me under the table._

_She gave me a funny look and before she could answer the waitress interrupted us asking if we were ready to order._

"_Will you stop it," he hissed in my ear while Rose was ordering._

"_What? I'm just covering all the bases," I told him. He gave me a look that said we'd be revisiting this topic when we got home. I stayed quiet through the rest of dinner allowing the rest of them to carry the conversation._

"_What the hell Avery? You were grilling her like a steak!" he growled as we entered the apartment. He had kept Rose busy by talking about school and he and Dimitri had struck up a conversation about their mutual dislike for some teacher named Alto. _

"_Look, just because you refuse to consider her as a prospect doesn't mean that I'm willing to give up so easily," I defended myself. _

"_So you've been researching her behind my back?" he asked clearly agitated._

_I nodded guiltily. "After I asked you to leave it alone?" he demanded._

"_What if she's the one?" _

"_Did you find anything?" _

"_No," I said dejectedly. _

"_Can you leave it alone now?" he asked._

"_Why don't you want it to be her?" It had been a question that was turning over in my head for weeks. Why hadn't he suspected her especially with their close connection?_

_He sighed. "I like Rose a lot. She's a really good person and I love being her friend. If it is her then we're going to blow her life apart. She's happy and has a really nice family. I don't believe it is her, but if it was I doubt she'd ever forgive me for lying to her all this time." He had a point. _

"_Well everything checks out so far so I guess I can leave it alone for now." _

"_Did you want it to be her because you're jealous? If she were related then I couldn't be tempted to fall for her." He studied me closely awaiting my response._

"_You think I'm jealous? You've got to be kidding me! She's beautiful and really nice, but she's seventeen for God's sake. Do you think I have such little self esteem that I'd be threatened by a teenager?" The fact that he would even ask a question like that offended me. He knew me better than that._

"_I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested that," he apologized quickly._

"_It's okay. I would never be jealous Adrian. You're my best friend and I trust you completely. You would never be unfaithful in mind or in body. I know that."_

"_Now I feel like a heel," he said ashamed of his outburst. _

"_It's okay. I love you and I am only trying to help, but if you want me to stay out of it, I will." _

"_No, it's okay. We can use all the help we can get. Belikov is working his tail off and hasn't come up with a thing so far. Let's just leave Rose out of it. I don't want her getting suspicious of why we're here." _

"_That's fair enough," I agreed._

"_So, are you too tired to fool around?" I asked seductively._

"_When have I ever been too tired to fool around?" he asked shoving me up against the wall with force._

"_Ugh," I moaned as he kissed me senseless his strong hands roaming the length of my body before tearing at my clothes. _

"_I don't believe our new couch has been christened yet," he murmured lifting me into his arms. _

_True to form, by the end of the night there wasn't any part of our apartment we hadn't made love in and that included the laundry room. _

End Flashback

RPOV

"Mom, have you seen my black shoes?" I called rushing frantically around my room trying to find the only pair of shoes that would match the black dress I was wearing. It was the same dress Adrian had loaned me for Fall Ball. I hoped Avery didn't mind me wearing it again. Although it didn't seem like it would fit her. She was way taller than I was and very petite.

"They're in the hall closet," she called back and I scurried down to get them.

"Is Dimitri meeting us here?" she asked. We were all going to Mr. Tanner and Ms. Karp's wedding. Mr. Tanner was my dad's best friend next to Lissa's dad and he was practically my Godfather. I was bringing Dimitri as my date and Christina was bringing Lissa. Tasha was back at school and had replied no. She had been really nice to me the entire time she was home and I was happy not to have to deal with her mean streak for once. Hopefully that meant she was growing up a little.

"He's picking me up and we're driving Christian to get Lissa if that's okay," I responded slipping the shoes onto my feet.

"That's fine. The ceremony is at five so don't be late," she commanded thrusting a black cardigan at me.

"It's cold, take this with." I grabbed the sweater just as Christian descended the stairs and the doorbell rang.

The ceremony was beautiful and soon we were at the reception hall.

Our table was near the back and I wasn't surprised to see that Adrian and Avery were also at our table along with my parents.

"Hey Rose, that's a very beautiful dress. Where did you get it?" Avery asked causing me to choke on my Shirley Temple.

"Uh, it's yours," I told her. "Don't you remember Adrian lending it to me?"

She looked at me skeptically all the while Dimitri and Adrian shared a strange look.

"Care to explain or should I?" Adrian directed his question at Dimitri who looked rather flustered. Lissa and Christian sat quietly waiting for a response.

He opened and closed his mouth several times without saying a word before pulling at his necktie nervously.

"It's my sister Viktoria's dress. I had her ship it from Baia," he confessed.

"I thought you said you got it at a vintage shop?" Lissa asked.

"Uh, well I didn't really want to explain why I was wearing Adrian's girlfriend's dress, but now I'm really not sure what's going on," I told her.

"Belikov was too chicken to give it to you himself thinking you'd know he was hot for you if he did especially since you went to the dance with Aaron and not him so he asked me to give it to you instead," Adrian explained.

"That was really sweet Comrade and really complicated." Everyone at the table nodded.

"I'll have to thank your sister. It really is lovely."

"So who did your sister think the dress was for?" Christian asked curiously. I was wondering about that as well.

"I didn't tell her and she was chomping at the bit. All of my sisters can be very nosy. Next time I see her she's going to demand answers," he said with a grimace.

"Well that will be soon then right?" Lissa asked. He nodded.

"What you're going back to Russia?" I asked in a panic. He hadn't said anything about leaving before the school year was finished.

"Calm down Roza," he said kissing my forehead softly. "I'm not going anywhere." I sighed in relief leaning my head on his shoulder.

"The Dragomirs have so generously arranged for my family to come and visit next week."

"Oh wow that is really nice," I said not at all surprised by Lissa's parent's generous gift.

Adrian gave him a funny look and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on with the two of them. They seemed rather chummy lately.

"So are all of them coming?" I asked.

"No, just my mother, grandmother and sister Viktoria. The others had to stay home with their families," he explained.

"I can't wait for them to meet you," he added in a whisper. I tensed up a little. What if they didn't like me?

"I know what you're thinking and they will love you," he assured me.

After dinner was served there was dancing. Mostly they played eighties music and some country stuff that I didn't really care for. Dimitri was in hog heaven though. He loved both. After a while they slowed it down a little with a ballad. It was Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love with You.

"Okay all the couples who are in love out there get out on the dance floor," the DJ called. Adrian and Avery and Lissa and Christian were quick to comply along with my parents. I hesitated before looking at Dimitri. We hadn't really gotten to that whole love thing yet and I didn't want him to feel like I was pressuring him. I chanced a glance at him and he was holding his hand out for me.

"I do believe that he meant us too," he said kissing my hand softly before escorting me to the dance floor to join our friends.

Holy shit! Does that mean he's in love with me, I wondered as we swayed slowly in time to the music. It felt so right being in his arms.

Lissa and Christian rode home with my parents leaving Dimitri and I alone for the first time all evening.

"So I thought next week when my family comes that we could take them to Portland over the weekend. Do you know of any good restaurants or sights to see there?" he asked.

"Well there's a hat museum, the Portland museum of science and industry, the Maritime Center and the Portland Art Museum."

"Which one do you enjoy the most?" he asked.

"Hmm well I think you would hate the hat museum," I said with a laugh.

"The Art Museum is pretty impressive."

"Well then let's plan on that. We can look up restaurants nearby," he said.

"Do you really think they'll like me?" I asked.

"Of course they will. Mama has been wanting me to meet a nice girl and settle down for years," he said.

I wrinkled my nose. "Settle down. You're eighteen. Is it common to marry young in Russia?" I asked. His mother sounded a little weird. Most parents wanted their children to go to college before they settled down.

His eyes widened and he looked much like a child who'd gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"No that's not how I meant it, I meant to say that she wants me to have a girl that loves me instead of just dating around," he corrected. I had an uneasy feeling that he was lying.

"Oh, I guess that sounds reasonable." I said entirely unconvinced that he had been telling the truth. He was really quiet after that with an unreadable look on his face and it worried me that something was wrong. I was too afraid to ask so I stayed quiet as well. Soon we pulled up in front of my house. He walked me to the door like usual and cupped my cheek in his hand before kissing me softly on the lips.

"Goodnight Roza," he said before high tailing it back to the car. Maybe Christian was right about him hiding something. I hoped whatever it was wasn't a big deal.

**Uh oh! Comrade slipped up and nearly revealed how old he was. That can't be good. Is she going to start doubting him now and will his family say anything cryptic when they visit next chapter? Also Avery has given up, Christian has thrown in the towel how in the world are they ever going to figure out the big secret? Next chapter will be the Belikov's visit. **


	31. Chapter 31: Visitors

**Chapter 31: Visitors **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**HEY Check out my new Poll on my Profile=) Happy Reading.**

DPOV

Things were not going well for me these past few weeks. First we run into Adrian and Avery at the movies and she starts questioning Rose like she's a suspect. I knew she was just concerned for her husband, but she was being too obvious. She hadn't been trained in the art of soliciting information from people without them knowing it. Rose hadn't commented on it, but I could tell she was slightly unnerved by all of Avery's probing. When Adrian kicked her under the table, I knew he was pissed as well. I was all for having help on this case, but not at the expense of blowing our cover. I'd confronted him about his wife the next day and he said she'd agreed to drop it after finding much the same information as I had.

I was entirely on edge after having slipped up with Rose last weekend. Being the smart girl she was, she'd picked up on it quickly. Having to walk on egg shells around her was making me rethink having my family visit. I wanted to see them. It had been six months since I left on this mission and before that I hadn't seen them for nearly a year. Sometimes Viktoria and I would Skype so at least I saw her face to face, but that was only when she was at St. Basil's. My mother did not own a computer. I had been meaning to buy her one for a while now so it would be easier to stay in touch. I also wasn't sure how Abe would feel about me socializing so much on the job. He hadn't been in touch recently and I was beginning to worry that he would just waltz in here and scare the living daylights out of me one of these days. I only prayed he waited until after my family left. The results of the DNA tests I sent him before Christmas should be coming in shortly. I had sent out the second batch as soon as school started back up. Those were the last of the girls on my original list. Those results would come sometime around mid-February and I was hoping to hold Abe off until after that time.

I'd asked to go alone to meet them at the airport. I wanted to have a talk with them about what was going on with my case. I of course would not give too many specifics, but my mother had been confused after speaking with Lila Dragomir. She wondered why I was studying when I'd already finished college. I also wanted to tell them about Rose. I knew that they'd be a little curious about the age difference and I wanted to make sure to settle all of their questions beforehand as not to have another slip up like I did the other day. She hadn't brought it up, but I knew she could feel that I wasn't telling her the whole truth. I hated lying to her. It was getting more and more difficult for me to be around her without wanting to tell her everything.

I took a deep breath and exited the car. Their plane had landed thirty minutes ago so they should have been just about through customs and baggage claim by now.

"Dimka!" My mother's voice was music to my ears. She, Viktoria and Babushka had just emerged from the revolving doors. Her face was lit up with a big smile and soon mine was too. I had missed them greatly.

"Mama, I'm so glad to see you," I greeted her in our native tongue.

"Oh my boy you are so grown up yet so handsome," she said embracing me tightly.

I hugged my grandmother next.

"It is not good to get into bed with the Zmey," she whispered in my ear. She always said the strangest things. I took it that she had figured out who I was working for. Abe Mazur was well known for being a snake in our part of the world.

After hugging my sister I loaded their meager bags into the car and helped Babushka into the front seat with me.

"So Dimka, are we going to meet the girl you leant my dress to?" My nosy sister probed me the second we made it onto the expressway.

"Dimka, you met a girl?" my mother exclaimed excitedly. She'd been waiting for this forever.

"Yes, Mama, her name is Roza," I told her shooting my sister a dirty look. I was going to wait to tell them until after I explained my living situation.

"Tell us about her. Is she pretty? What does she do for a living? Have you met her family?" My mother was rattling off questions faster than I could think.

"Mama first I have to tell you about the case I am working on. Then I will tell you all about my Roza."

"Oh he called her his Roza," Viktoria squealed. I slapped my forehead. I had forgotten how excitable my family could be. It had been tough growing up as the only male in the house for all those years, but they were my family and I loved them dearly.

"As you know I am here on a case. I'm undercover and my identity is quite different than usual. It is imperative that I not be exposed. I am here masquerading as a high school senior. I am eighteen and as far as they know live with my mother and sisters. I have not fibbed about anyone else's age or occupation. I have led them to believe that I am only two years older than Vika instead of eight years. I cannot give you the specifics of my case only that I am searching for a missing child who is seventeen and may attend the high school I've infiltrated. The family I am living with thinks I am an exchange student and has offered to host me. During the week I will be at school, but Lila Dragomir, my host mother has kindly offered to take you all around town to see the sights."

"Wow Dimka that must be difficult for you. There are a lot of restrictions imposed on a high school student. How are you finding the school work?" my mother asked.

"Actually it is a lot easier than it was at home. I've studied most of the concepts before. Sometimes there are slang words and metaphors I don't understand, but my classmates are willing to help me out."

"So you have a curfew and everything?" Viktoria snorted.

"Actually not really. The Dragomirs are quite liberal even with their own children. I have two host siblings. They are twins Andree and Vasilisa. They are both seventeen and attend school with me."

"So how are you dating this Roza girl? Where did you meet her? Do they know she is older than you?" my mother inquired.

"That brings me to my next point." I cleared my throat uneasily not looking forward to their reaction.

"Roza is slightly younger than I am," I said trying to feel them out before I dropped the bomb.

"Oh, does she attend a local university?" my mother asked and Babushka just clucked her tongue. I knew she knew what I was going to say next.

"Don't freak out Mama, but Roza is a senior at the school I attend."

"You're dating a teenager?" my sister guffawed.

"Vika, hush," my mother commanded.

"Are you sure that is wise?" my mother asked.

"No, I'm entirely sure I'm going to hell, but I can't help it Mama. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Mama I'm in love with her," I confessed.

"Oh Dimka, I'm so happy for you. I've been waiting so long for you to find the one. Age is just a number. If she makes you happy then I am happy for you," she said squeezing my shoulder supportively.

"She doesn't know that you're twenty-four?" Viktoria asked bluntly.

"No, she doesn't. She thinks I am an exchange student the same as everyone else.

"Wow she is going to be pissed when she finds out the truth."

"Vika," my mother warned.

"What? I'm just stating the obvious. This is so going to blow up in your face big brother."

"I know Vika. I tried to stay away from her, but I can't."

"Everything will work out," my mother said trying to be positive.

"I hope so, but mum's the word until you leave."

"Oh this is going to be so fun seeing Mama treat you like she treats me," Vika laughed heartily.

"You're so funny," I muttered under my breath.

"So tell us about Roza," my mother pried her curiosity getting the better of her.

"She's smart and funny and has an infectious personality. She's outgoing and very friendly. She runs track and cross country and is very athletic and competitive. She's close with her family and friends."

"Is she pretty?" Viktoria asked making annoying kissing noises.

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on."

"Wow you turned into a sap!" she commented.

"Shut up!" I retorted.

"So when can we meet her?"

"Well she's probably going to come around tonight. She's good friends with Lissa Dragomir. She spends a lot of time at the house. That is how we met."

"Do you get along with her family? Are they nice?"

"Actually her father is my history teacher and yes they are very nice. Well her sister is a little much to handle, but the rest are good."

By now we had pulled up in front of the house. After making introductions to the Dragomirs, I helped lug their stuff upstairs. My mother and Babushka would be sleeping the guest room attached to mine and Vika would be staying in Lissa's guest room.

"Come on I'll show you to your room," Lissa said helping Vika with her bags.

"Rose and my other girlfriends will be coming over later after dinner. You're what sixteen? That's only a little younger than us. We're going to get along just fine. You do like makeovers and girly movies don't you?" Lissa yammered on.

"Who doesn't? I'm a sucker for lip gloss," my sister admitted as they separated from us at the top of the stairs.

"So are you close to finding this missing child?" my mother asked as she unpacked her things. They were staying a little over a week.

"No and it is very frustrating. There are a few more leads I need to check out, but if they don't pan out then I will be back to where I started."

"You sounds stressed my dear. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No, just being here with me is more than I could have ever asked for," I told her.

RPOV

I stood on the doorstep of Lissa's house and for the first time in forever, I was nervous to go inside. Her house had always been like my second home and usually I just walked inside. I even had a key if it was locked. This time was different though. I knew DImitri's family was on the other side of that door and I had a serious case of butterflies in my stomach. What if they thought I wasn't good enough for him? He was so nice and smart and handsome.

"Geez Rosie what's the hold up? Let's go already," Chrisian whined pushing ahead of me and opening the door. I sucked in a breath of air and straightened my jacket before following him inside.

I looked around and found things as usual. No one was in the living room. A few seconds later Mia, Jill and Sydney arrived with Mason and Eddie. We were all chatting away when Lissa came down the stairs followed by a young girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She looked just like Dimitri.

"This is Dimitri's sister Viktoria," Lissa introduced us to the girl.

She waved studying us one by one probably trying to figure out which one of us was me.

"I'm Mia, this is Sydney and Jill and that's Rose," Mia piped up.

"So you're Dimka's Roza?" she smiled brightly at me.

"He was right you are very beautiful," she commented. "We're going to be great friends." She pulled me in for a hug. Hmm I liked her already.

"It's nice to meet you and thank you for lending me your dress," I told her.

"It was no problem. Did you and Dimka enjoy the dance?"

Mia snorted and I glared at her.

"What?" Viktoria asked.

"We uh didn't exactly go together," I admitted blushing.

She raised her eyebrow at me the same way Dimitri always did.

"My dear brother neglected to mention that."

"Awkward," Mia said coughing.

A few seconds passed before Dimitri came down the stairs followed by two women.

He crossed the room greeting me with his usual kiss on the cheek before grabbing my hand and pulling me close to his body.

"Mama, Babushka, I'd like you to meet Rosalie Ozera, my girlfriend," he said beaming.

"Roza this is my mother Olena and my grandmother Yeva," he said.  
>"It's very nice to meet you. Dimitri has told me so much about you," I said extending my hand politely<p>

"Oh Roza, it's so nice to meet the girl who has finally stolen my son's heart," his mother cried pulling me into a huge hug. Wow these Russians sure were friendly.

His grandmother was definitely not a hugger and stood at a distance scrutinizing me. I felt like I was a pathogen under a microscope. She didn't say anything or smile.

"Don't worry about her. She takes time to warm up to people," Dimitri assured me as we all filed into the dining room where Lucy had set up a huge buffet.

"So tell me about yourself," Olena asked me as we sat down to dinner. She had taken the chair next to me on one side leaving the other for Dimitri who was still getting his food. I was too nervous to eat much so I had only taken one chicken kabob off the tray and a dinner roll which I was picking at. I didn't want them to think I ate like a horse. I mean, I did usually eat like a horse, but I didn't want to advertise that the first time I met them.

"What do you want to know?" I asked careful to be polite.

"What are your interests? Dimka says you are athletic. Do you plan to pursue sports at university?"

"Well I don't know. I will probably end up in community college for a few years. University is expensive and we don't have much money," I told her.

"That's a good choice. Community college is just as effective and it gives you a chance to figure out what you'd like to pursue while saving money."

"I think I might want to do something with fitness. I love to work out and be active and I've taken martial arts for years."

"You and Dimka do have a lot in common," she said smiling.

"Did I hear you talking about me Mama? You're not embarrassing me by telling Roza stories about me are you?" he asked taking his seat next to me.

"Of course not, I will save those for later," she said with a wink.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked midway through the meal.

I nodded. "I'm okay. Why?"

"You didn't eat," he said pointing to my still full plate. I had only managed to push things around without taking a single bite.

"Don't be nervous Roza. They love you already." He kissed my forehead rising from the table only to come back minutes later with a plate piled high with all my favorites.

"Dimka, you already had two plates. Have you become a pig since moving to the States?" Viktoria asked her eyes wide.

He shot her a look that rivaled the ones I gave my own brother. "No, this is for Roza," he replied placing it in front of me.

"Ah yes, my son tells me you have a very healthy appetite. Don't hold back on our account. You're far too skinny," Olena said encouraging me.

"Sorry, I'm just a little nervous," I admitted digging into the hamburger Dimitri had put in front of me.

"Better?" he asked after I'd polished off the entire plate.

"Much," I said smiling. I had been starving.

"Wow you weren't kidding. She's so little. Where does she put it all?" Viktoria exclaimed.

"She runs it off," Christian injected. "Yesterday she ran ten miles in the twenty degree weather," he snorted. "Personally I think she's nuts."

"Ha ha, you're just jealous because I can lap you Sparky," I said smugly.

"So Dimka says you enjoy the art museum and that is where we are going to go this weekend," Olena said as we all sat around in the living room talking.

"I do like it. They have a new Degas exhibit that is running until March."

"You like Art?"

"Yes, I much prefer art to English or math," I said.

"I don't blame you. My son is very good in language, science and math, but I never understood the appeal of numbers."

"Is your favorite class Art then?" she asked.

"I like it well enough, but I prefer gym and culinary science."

"Ah you like to cook?" she mused.

"Oh yes, my mother taught me and I love to bake as well. You know I like to eat," I said blushing a little.

"I had to teach Dimka to cook because I'd make three loaves of black bread and they'd be gone in a day and a half. Growing boys tend to eat you out of house and home."

"I don't know, I think my sister could out eat your son any day," Christian said embarrassing me.

"Christian," Lissa scolded smacking him upside the head.

"What? I'm only telling the truth. Mom has to make two meat loaves because Rose can almost eat a whole one herself. Then there was the time I dared her to eat the entire large pizza," he said with a laugh.

I put my head in my hands wanting to die.

"I think it's endearing," Dimitri said sitting down beside me on the floor kissing my cheek. Lucy had put out dessert and he'd brought a plate full of goodies.

"Mama you have to try the cookies. Roza made them."

She took one off the plate and I waited in anticipation as she took a bite.

"Mmm these are good, you have to try one mother," she said handing one to Dimitri's grandmother who looked at the cookie like it was poison, but slowly brought it to her mouth taking a small bite.

My eyes widened as she cracked a small smile.

She rattled off a few lines in Russian and Dimitri smiled widely.

"What did she say?" I whispered.

"She said that she approves because now she is sure I won't go hungry with you around."

I smiled at that happy to have passed the test for once.

**Okay let me just say that this chapter was not my best. I don't know what happened, but I lost my creative side while writing so this chapter was just a little filler. I will be back at full creative power in the next chapter with Abe's POV! Hope you'll still review and tell me what you thought of the Belikovs so I am inspired to make the next chapter better=)**


	32. Chapter 32: Happy Birthday Rosemarie

**Chapter 32: Happy Birthday Rosemarie**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

ABEPOV

"Get the hell out of here," I barked. The maid scurried away with a quick yes sir. I hadn't meant to scare her, but that's what happened and she should know by now that no one bothered me on this day. I wanted the house empty. Today January 27th was the day I holed myself up in my office with a bottle of scotch. Each year it was the same, only this year not only was I longing for news of my long lost daughter, but mourning the death of her mother. Detective Belikov had sent DNA confirmation that the body buried in Jocelyn James' grave had indeed belonged to my wife. I had received it this morning.

I sat down behind my desk staring at the results of the first round of DNA testing Belikov had sent me. I didn't know if I should open them or burn them. I took a deep breath, poured myself a glass of scotch and opened the first envelope.

I tossed the useless piece of paper onto the floor and opened the second and the third. I had known that there was a very slim chance that I would sit down to good news, but I had still hoped. I'd been waiting a week to open the results. I figured why not wait until today and make it really hurt. I had little hope that the last one would reveal the results I had been praying for, but as a glutton for punishment I opened the envelope anyways. I didn't know which was worse; not knowing what happened to her or finding out she was dead and never coming home.

I tossed the last piece of paper onto the floor pounding my fist on my desk in fury.

"Why?" I roared throwing everything off my desk in one sweeping motion.

"Why her? What did she ever do to deserve this?" Neither did my son.

Hell I didn't ask what I'd done to deserve this. I knew full well what I'd done to merit the pain and torture I'd been through these last twelve years. I was in no way an upstanding man. I had swindled, lied, cheated and threatened to get to where I was and I had paid the price. If I had been as loving and devoted father as I planned on being she would be safe and here with me right now. I had let my priorities become skewed and my daughter and my wife had both been innocent victims of my neglect.

If I had been around my son would never have had to grow up in fear and maybe just maybe I wouldn't wish for death every day I lived and breathed.

From the first day I saw Janine Hathaway she was the most enchanting, beautiful creature I'd ever laid eyes on. She was young and beautiful with just a touch of crazy. I liked to think of her as a free spirit. She loved art and painted frequently. She loved animals and was always bringing in strays to nurse them back to health. She was vibrant and happy go lucky, so unlike my first wife Daniela Ivashkov, who had been everything my family had wanted for me. She was from wealthy blood, carried a powerful name and would further business connections. She was wrong for me in so many ways, but I tried my hardest to make her happy throwing lavish parties and spoiling her with all the luxuries I could provide. Shortly after our second wedding anniversary she'd given birth to our son Adrian. I couldn't have been happier and even though I didn't love her, I was content. I adored my son and felt a great connection to the woman who'd brought him into our lives.

Of course if I had known I was living in oblivion to the countless affairs she was having I wouldn't have been so complacent. It was Adrian's third birthday when a mutual friend suggested I have a paternity test run. Apparently everyone in town knew what a whore my wife was. I'd confronted her that day after the party guest's left and she'd admitted to being unfaithful, but swore up and down that Adrian was my son. I had a paternity test done and was relieved that he was the one thing she hadn't lied to me about. Even if he hadn't been my son, I wouldn't have been able to give him up. It pained me that after our divorce he lived with her most of the time. I was able to see him often, but it wasn't the same. I did not take any pleasure from her untimely death from cancer, but enjoyed having my son return to my home. He had loved being a big brother and despite their age difference was very close with his sister.

When I met Janine, she was a breath of fresh air. With her, I felt like anything could happen. We spent hours talking and making love and after three months I asked her to marry me. She told me I was crazy, but she loved it. We were married just weeks later and it wasn't long before she told me she was carrying my child inside her.

I had never been as overjoyed as the day my daughter was born. I loved my son, but the love I felt for Janine and for our new daughter was indescribable. Rosemarie Mazur was born January 27th 1994. She was six pounds eight ounces 18 inches long. I ran my hand over her tiny foot prints on her birth certificate. God how I missed her. She'd been the perfect child. She was smart and beautiful and loving. When I'd come home after a long trip she'd jump into my arms and cuddle her face into my neck telling me all about what had transpired while I was away. Each time I left she'd cry and beg for me to stay. It wasn't until after Janine had taken her away that I realized there had been more to it than a child that missed her father. Janine had not been right for some time and I had tried so hard to ignore the signs. She was ill and I'd known it. It was my fault she hadn't gotten the help she needed and in turn I was to blame for my daughter's disappearance and anything that happened to her after.

I remembered the day I received the call that Adrian was distraught having thought he'd been left behind for Christmas. I knew immediately that something was not right. We were supposed to spend a quiet Christmas at home. Things had been hectic and I'd been away a lot so we decided not to make any fancy holiday plans. When I was told that Janine had taken Rose to a spa and was expecting us to join them shortly I never imagined that she really had just taken off with my daughter. Their passports were still in the safe and nothing noticeable was missing from the house. I figured she'd be gone a day or so and come back, but after a week had passed I knew I would never see them again.

I sighed remembering the last time I'd seen my beautiful Rosemarie. It was four days prior to their disappearance. We'd gathered together around the tree to take a photo before I left on my business trip. Both children had been in their Sunday best. Rosemarie had smiled happily for the camera with her missing front tooth. I left that evening for business in Novosibirsk and when she hugged me asking her to bring her back a Russian doll, I hadn't known it was the last time I'd ever lay eyes on her.

I growled grabbing the nearest thing to me which was a large glass paperweight and whipped it at the wall. It gave me brief satisfaction as it shattered to shards all over the floor. My chest was heaving as I picked up the waste basket throwing it with force. I did the same to several other smaller pieces of furniture and knick knacks before stopping to breathe. I was panting feeling the rage that consumed my entire body.

There was a knock at the door. I took a deep cleansing breath to clear my head.

"What?" I growled.

"Sir, I have the things you requested," Emil, the cook entered the room timidly as she did every year on this day.

"Leave them on the desk," I commanded attempting to be civil. It wasn't her fault. She'd been loyal all these years putting up with my moods and fits of anger.

She set the items on the desk and skittered out of the room as fast as her legs would carry her. I didn't blame her. I'd been known to throw things and explode at a moment's and today was certainly no exception.

I glared at the items she brought in. They sat there taunting me. I retook my seat and grabbed the lighter off the desk using it to light the candle.

"Happy eighteenth birthday my sweet girl," I whispered tears falling freely down my cheek as I stared at the cake on the table. It was chocolate with chocolate icing and purple flowers just the way she had liked it.

I took the brightly wrapped package and placed it in the closet with the rest. All together there were twelve gifts, one for each year she'd been missing. I had high hopes that someday she'd sit in this very room and open the gifts I had picked out for her.

She probably wouldn't like them. Even if she did come back to me, I wouldn't know her. I didn't know what she liked and disliked. By now she would have had her first driving lesson, her first date. She'd be graduating from high school and choosing universities. I hoped to God that all of those things had happened for her. The alternative was that she'd suffered and untimely death or was raised on the streets.

I shut the door with one last look.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I had no desire to speak with anyone, but glanced at the screen anyways. It was my son and I had to take the call. Today was just as hard for him as it was for me.

"How are you?" he asked.

"The same as usual. I had such false hope that she'd be here celebrating with us today," I responded sadly.

"Me too Baba," he responded. I could hear the pain in his voice.

"Is having Avery there helping?" I asked.

"It takes the edge off, but it's still painful. Are you coming soon?" he asked.

"Not just yet," I replied. "I'm waiting on a second set of DNA results and until then I don't want to rock the boat by making my presence known. I will come soon, but now is not the time to screw things up."

ADRIANPOV

"What's the use anymore?" I grumbled. It was January 27th and my sister would officially be eighteen today. She had no reason to come back to our family now that she was an adult so even if we did locate her she would have no obligation to get to know us.

"Honey you can't think like that. She'll want to know you. You're such a wonderful man. How could she not?" my wife comforted me. I'd stayed home from school today unable to bear the sadness I felt each year as her birthday came and went and we spent another year not knowing where she was or if she was alive.

"Just admit it. You think she's dead!" I'd screeched at Belikov last week. He'd been kind enough not to pound me for being an insolent brat.

He told me he was going to hack into the school records and search blood types and allergies next. It was a long shot, but it was something.

"Why don't you lie down and I'll make the cake," she said rubbing my head softly.

I nodded too mentally exhausted to argue. It was a morbid tradition, but each year on Rosemarie's birthday we celebrated without her. My father stayed in his office all day and I would camp out alone in her room. This year Emil wasn't here to make the cake and Avery had kindly offered to do so.

"Adrian, I'm going to the store for candles. Listen for the timer will you and if it goes off take the cake out of the oven," she called as I heard the door close behind her.

I dragged myself to the kitchen to make sure I heard it if it buzzed while she was out.

I was pouring myself a tall glass of my favorite Vodka when there was a timid knock on the door.

"Is anyone home? Adrian, Avery?" Rose's voice came through the door. I cursed myself looking at the clock. It was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon. I'd wallowed away the entire day and hadn't responded to any of Rose's texts asking me why I wasn't in school.

"Coming," I called.

"Hey, how are you? I was worried when you didn't text me back," she said looking at me with concern.

"I'm okay, just not having a good day," I told her.

"Can I come in? Is Avery here? Are you sick? Is she taking care of you?" she asked trying to peek inside.

I sighed. I wasn't really in the mood for company, but I felt bad turning her away after she'd come all the way here.

"Sure, you can come in," I told her opening the door allowing her entrance.

"You're not contagious are you?" she asked wrinkling her nose.

I laughed a little. "Not unless depression is catching," I muttered shaking my head in negation.

"Oh," she said looking disappointed. "I brought you chicken soup and orange juice and a bottle of vitamin C." I looked at the bag in her hands.

"That was very sweet little cupcake," I told her forcing a smile for her sake.

"Tell me what's wrong," she said taking note of my less than cheery demeanor, the bags under my eyes and my sweat pants.

"It's not a big deal," I told her. "I'll be better tomorrow."

"You don't have to face whatever it is alone. You have Avery and you have me," she said putting her hand on my shoulder.

The timer on the oven rang just as she was sniffing my glass of vodka with distaste.

"You shouldn't sit around and drink alone. It's not healthy. What's the timer for?"

"Oh, it's for the cake," I said stupidly remembering I had to take it out of the oven.

"Oh, I'll get it," she said grabbing the oven mitts and deftly removing the hot pan from the oven setting it to cool on the stovetop.

"Mmmm chocolate is my favorite. What's the occasion?"

I sighed not knowing if I should tell her or not. She was my best friend and all. I hated lying to her.

"It's a long story."

"I'm here to listen," she offered. "Here let me frost it." She took the spatula and found the frosting Avery had whipped up in a bowl.

"The cake is for my sister," I told her.

"I didn't know you had a sister. Is she here?" she asked glancing around the small apartment.

"No, she isn't," I said sadly.

"Oh, then what's with the cake?" she asked quizzically.

"I haven't seen her in twelve years," I responded.

"Why? Was there a falling out in your family?" she asked. "My parents don't really talk to many people in our family. There was some bad blood when we were kids and they haven't spoken since," she explained.

"You could say that," I told her.

"You could call her," she suggested. "Even if it's been a long time, I'm sure she'd want to hear from you. How old is she?"

"She would be eighteen today," I told her holding back the flood of emotions that threatened to spill forth.

Her posture stiffened and she stopped frosting the cake turning to me with a pained expression on her face.

"Did she die?" she gulped.

"I don't know," I told her. "She was kidnapped when she was six and we don't know what happened to her," I confessed feeling like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders as the tears began creeping down my cheeks.

"Oh Adrian, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. That's horrible. I can't even imagine," she said rushing forward enveloping me in her arms. She leant me her strength as she held me tight while I poured out my soul to her.

"I just miss her so much. I have hoped and prayed every year on this day that the next year she'd be here eating cake with me," I sobbed.

"Shh, it's okay. I know it doesn't seem like it, but you're going to be okay," she soothed rubbing my back.

"I'm sorry to have broken down like that," I apologized a little embarrassed at my outburst.

"Under the circumstances it should be me who is apologizing for forcing myself on you when you obviously are in pain and wanted to be alone," she said.

"No, it's okay. Having you here and letting me unburden myself on you has actually helped a lot. In fact I think there might just be a piece of chocolate cake with your name on it," I told her.

"Oh no, I couldn't. It's for your sister," she said.

"It's okay Little Cupcake. I can't eat it all myself and Avery is not the biggest fan of my pity parties. Besides you remind me a lot of my sister you know. I think if you were around when we were kids you two would have been friends."

"Well okay then. Let's finish frosting it. What do you want it to say?" she asked holding up the tube of purple frosting.

"Happy 18th Birthday Kiz Kardes," I told her.

"That's cute," she stated.

"What is?"

"That you called her your younger sister," she said smiling.

I nodded. "She always called me Abi Addie," I told her remembering the way she'd refer to me as her older brother Addie.

"Do you want to sing?" she asked.

"I never have before. Usually I just put on the candles and watch them burn until they extinguish themselves." Speaking of candles, I wondered where my wife had gone to get them. She'd been gone a while.

She began to sing quietly and I joined her.

"So do you eat the cake after?" she asked.

"Sometimes." I was reluctant to admit that I usually ended up chucking it at the wall and or smashing my fist into it repeatedly.

"We should eat it," I decided. "She loved cake. She'd want us to eat it."

"Okay then," she said grabbing to forks, a knife and a plate.

"This is really good. Your girlfriend sure knows how to bake a cake," she said polishing off two pieces. I hardly had an appetite today, but being here with her like this put me in a better mood and I managed to eat what she'd put on my plate.

"Thank you for today," I told her as she grabbed her things to leave.

"Anytime Adrian, you're my best friend next to Lissa," she said giving me a big hug squeezing my hand tightly.

"Thanks," I told her closing the door behind her. For the first time I felt like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time in a long time I felt hopeful that life would go on and we would find her alive and happy.

AVERY POV

I was about to walk into the apartment with the candles I'd bought for Adrian's fake birthday party, but I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw he and Rose in a tight embrace through the kitchen window. He was crying and she looked like she was sad as well.

All I could think was that he must have told her. I pressed my ear to the window that was old and had lots of cracks. I heard him tell her to write Happy Birthday Little Sister on it. Surprisingly she seemed to understand what it meant. I couldn't help but think that she had to be the one, but if she was then why hadn't him telling her triggered a memory?

I was bound and determined to find out once and for all. If Belikov wasn't going to do anything and Adrian was too blind to see it, I was going to expose the truth one way or another. The only problem was that I'd promised my husband that I would stop looking into Rose's past. I hated to go against him. I needed more proof though. Maybe I'd wait a week or two and snoop around casually before resuming my search.

I waited outside until she left allowing them to have their cake. This was the first time he eaten it in a long time. Usually it ended up on the wall or the couch or the floor. This was a change for the good. Even if she didn't turn out to be the one, she was the one he needed to pull him out of it. I was sure of it.

"Hey where have you been?" he asked as he placed the remnants of the cake in the refrigerator.

"I got held up. I'm sorry. Was that Rose I saw leaving?"

He nodded.

"We should have her and Dimitri over for dinner once his family leaves," I told him.

"Good idea," he said kissing my cheek.

**So what did you think of Abe? Poor Adrian doesn't even know that his wish last year came true and that he just celebrated his sister's birthday with her=) Tissue anyone? Also Adrian didn't notice her understanding the Turkish word for little sister because he was too distraught and depressed to pay much attention.**

"


	33. Chapter 33: Growing Suspicions

**Chapter 33: Growing Suspicions**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**DPOV**

"Thank you for today Dimka. Roza was right the art museum was very beautiful," my mother complimented. We'd spent the entire day in Portland. Just as I'd suspected Rose and Viktoria got along really well. They'd spent the entire day ganging up on me poking fun at everything I did. It made me so happy that Rose fit in so well with my family.

I nearly had a heart attack though when Viktoria made a huge slip of the tongue.

"Dimka was so mean to me when I was a child. When I was twelve I had a huge crush on his friend Ivan and my stupid brother would always tease me about it right in front of him. It was so embarrassing. Luckily he was away at university at that time and I didn't have to see them too much."

Rose had laughed, but then stopped abruptly. "I knew your brother was genius, but college at fourteen, I don't know about that."

"Uh what I mean was he was away at a camp that summer at the university," she covered rather well or so I'd thought. Rose seemed to buy it, but I wasn't really too sure.

"Vika, you can't slip up like that in front of Roza," I warned her later in the evening.

"I'm sorry. I forgot. Please don't be angry with me," she'd pleaded.

I sighed. "I'm not angry Vika. It's just that this case is not going well and I'm lying to everyone and I'm afraid that I'll lose her when she finds out."

"Why don't you just confide in her? She seems like she's trustworthy. Just tell her why you're here. She will understand."

"I can't. My boss would never allow it. Besides I don't want to put her in a position where she would have to lie to her family and friends either." Not to mention the element of danger involved if the person who'd taken Rosemarie were to know that Rose was involved.

"That's true," she mused.

"It's hard to lie. How can you keep up with it? I'm exhausted and it's only been a day."

"Lots of PI training," I told her. It was quite sad how natural lying came to me.

"One question big brother. What happens when she realizes your entire relationship is a lie? She'll never trust you. You're too good at lying." I couldn't argue with her.

"Don't remind me," I groaned. She was entirely right. Once everything was out in the open Rose would never speak to me again and her family would probably have me arrested. My only hope is that Abe would be able to keep me out of jail.

My family had only been able to stay for a week, but it was so good to see them and I was entirely grateful that they'd gotten to meet Rose. Even if things didn't work out she would always be the love of my life and if I was going to spend every waking moment being depressed without her at least my family would know why.

"She is such a beautiful, wonderful girl Dimka. I'm so happy you've found true love. Don't screw it up. I want a huge wedding and lots of grandbabies down the line," my mother said as we were getting ready to part. I couldn't have agreed more with the picture of the future she had painted for Roza and me. I was stupid if I thought that it would work out that way, but a man can dream. We were at the airport and they would have to go through security and immigration soon and I could not accompany them further than this.

"You bring that girl home to us someday. Promise me," she said looking into my eyes.

"I will do my best Mama," I told her.

Viktoria hugged me and asked if it was okay to e-mail and text with Rose. I told her it was fine, but to try her best not to discuss our past until the cat was out of the bag.

Right before they went through the doors my grandmother hugged me tightly.

"I can't see end, but what you are looking for is so much closer than you could ever imagine," she said being cryptic as usual. I couldn't tell if she was talking about my case or my personal life, but that was Babushka for you. She had all the answers, but revealed them in her own time.

I gave them one last wave before getting in the car and pulling away from the departure gate.

I was halfway home when my phone rang. It was an unknown number with the same area code that Abe usually called from.

"Privet," I answered.

"Dimitri, this is Avery. We need to talk. Can you meet me in an hour at my Aunt's house?" she asked.

I sighed. I didn't really want to meet her. She was prying into things she knew nothing about, but if she had a lead, I needed to know.

"I'll be there," I said before disconnecting.

"I assume since we are meeting here that your husband is not privy to this encounter we're having?" I asked somewhat uncomfortable going behind Adrian's back. I'd come to like and respect him over these last several months.

"No, he doesn't."

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"Well, I have some information, but I promised Adrian that I wouldn't poke around in Rose's background anymore so I'm going to tell you what I know and let you do the poking that way it gets done the right way and I can keep my promise," she said.

I sighed. So we were back to thinking Rose was a suspect were we? In all honesty there were many things about her background that didn't fit, but to think that she was the girl we were looking for was a little farfetched. She did not fit the profile of a girl who'd gone through a kidnapping and the Ozera's seemed like a perfectly normal family. I decided to hear her out anyway and make my own judgment on this so called information she insisted she had.

"So what do you have that is suspicious?" I asked.

"Twice now Adrian has spoken Turkish in front of Rose and both times she seemed to comprehend it," she said.

I looked at her skeptically. On a good day Rose could manage the English language. She butchered French on a weekly basis, but to understand Turkish was laughable.

"Are you sure she really understood it?" I asked not believing it for a minute.

"Well she sure seemed to. I can't really tell without testing her so I thought maybe you could do that. You know start speaking randomly to her in Turkish and see if she responds to it. What's the worst that could happen? Either she responds or she looks at you like you've got three heads. It's a no brainer," she insisted. She did have a point, but the fact was that I did not speak Turkish and I'd have no way of telling if she understood me without heavy study of the language or carrying around a tape recorder and a pocket translator.

"Are there any other things that might lead you to believe it is her?" I asked hesitantly. I didn't know what made me so resistant to thinking it was her. I guess part of it was so that I didn't have to watch her fall apart as she realized her entire life had been one lie after another including from me.

"Well no, I mean besides her looks there's nothing, but still. I just have this feeling about her. She and Adrian share a lot of similarities. I just can help but wonder if it is her. Can't you just submit her DNA just in case? If it turns out I'm wrong, it's no skin off your back. Just send in a sample.

"It takes six to eight weeks," I reminded her.

"So what at least then we'll know and I can have peace of mind for a short time," she said.

I nodded. "I will submit it by the end of the week, but I'm giving you the same warning as your husband. Let me do the dirty work. I don't want you getting overly confident and us being exposed."

"Agreed. I won't pursue it anymore. I will leave it in your capable hands. Just promise you'll send the test."  
>"I promise," I told her.<p>

What I didn't tell her was that I'd already packed Rose's sample in the proper kit. I just hadn't had the guts to send it yet. I knew it was a long shot and I was probably wrong, but if it did come out a match my life and hers were going to be in utter chaos. I made up my mind that I would send it by the end of the week.

RPOV

"So I'm not supposed to tell you anything, but I can't just sit on this," Lissa said bursting through the door to her room. It was Friday night at we were having one of our usual sleepovers. All the girls were here and this time we'd invited Avery along. Adrian was hanging out with the guys so it's not like she had anything else to do. We were the only people she knew here.

"What?" I asked looking up at her. My hands were tangled in Jill's hair. I was putting it into a French braid. She shut the door behind her and when she was sure that everyone was paying attention she resumed speaking.

"So I overheard Dimitri on the phone and he was making Valentine's Day plans," she squealed.

My heart rate increased and I forgot all about Jill's hair as I jumped to my feet.

"Tell me everything!" I ordered.

"So he was on the phone with…,"

"NO! Don't tell her!" Sydney cried interrupting Lissa before she got to the good part.

"What why?" I asked.

"Because he's your boyfriend and it's your first Valentine's Day together and he's trying to be romantic and plan a surprise for you. Don't ruin it for him," she said giving Lissa a glare.

I mulled it over for a minute before realizing she was right.

"I guess maybe I should just let him surprise me," I muttered. Lissa was utterly put out that I didn't want to know, but remained quiet.

"Do the rest of you have big plans?" I asked. I knew Christian always did it up big. Lissa loved the attention. Last year he'd stuffed pillows in his bed and I told mom and dad he was under the weather. I couldn't believe they'd bought it.

"No, Christian is being secretive as usual," Lissa moaned.

"I'll bet Mason forgot," Jill said rolling her eyes.

"Nah, he and Eddie are up to something. I've heard them," Mia said.

"What about you and Adrian?" I asked Avery.

She shrugged. "No idea."

"Is he usually romantic?" I pried.

"Yes, he's actually quite romantic. Last year we were in Paris and he took me to an old black and white movie they were showing in Cimitere Pere LaChaise. He packed a picnic and everything."

"Sounds dreamy," Lissa commented.

"That sounds so Adrian. He seems like the type to make grand gestures."

"Sometimes, but sometimes it's nice to just have a quiet evening at home," she said.

It was now Tuesday and I was waiting for Dimitri to pick me up. My stomach was doing flip flops at the thought of spending the evening with him. Dad had taken Mom for their usual dinner at some little Italian place where they'd had their first date and Christian had already left to pick up Lissa. He was wearing a suit and tie so I assumed it was something fancy.

The only clues I had gotten from Dimitri were to dress comfortably and be hungry. Two things I knew how to do well. Lissa had been determined to help me pick out the perfect outfit and was sorely disappointed when I'd settled on dark wash skinny jeans, a fushia cowl necked sweater and my Uggs.

The doorbell rang and I ran to answer it.

"You look beautiful Roza," he complimented kissing my cheek softly.

"You don't look so bad yourself Comrade."

It was a half an hour car ride before we pulled up to the middle of nowhere?

"Uh Comrade, are you taking me out to the woods to bludgeon me to death?" I joked nervously.

He laughed. "Nope, I prefer guns." My eyes widened and I gulped.

"I'm kidding Roza relax," he said getting out of the car. He opened my door like a gentleman and put his hands over my eyes.

"Keep them closed," he said leading me up a gravel driveway.

I heard a door open and then it was warm.

"Okay you can open them now," he said removing his hands.

"Oh Comrade, this is unbelievable," I gasped mesmerized by the scene before me. We were in a small cabin. There was a fire in the fireplace with lit candles lining the mantle, a small kitchen in the corner and a table set for two in the middle of the room.

"Do you like it?" he asked. I nodded breathing in the aroma that was coming from the two covered plates on the table.

"Did you do all of this?" I asked pointing to the fire, the dinner and the candles.

He nodded. "I wanted to make it special for you. Please sit." He helped me out of my coat and pulled out the chair for me.

He lifted the cover from my plate revealing all of my favorites from the Russian place.

"Did you make this yourself?"

He nodded. "I wanted you to try my cooking," he said smiling.

"What is this one?" I asked spearing a piece of what looked like marinated chicken.

"It's chicken with white wine and Tarragon. You'll like it," he encouraged. I shrugged. I'd liked everything else so far so I dipped it in some of the jelly that was in a small dish and popped a bite into my mouth.

"Oh this is good," I moaned stabbing another piece slathering some more jelly on it.

"You sure do know how to cook," I told him coughing a little.

"Would you like some water?" he asked handing me a glass. I nodded taking a big gulp.

"I just have this tickle in my throat," I said coughing again.

"Take another sip," he suggested. I tried, but realized that not only did my throat tickle, but it was becoming tight and difficult to swallow. I began to panic as I felt myself becoming red as my airway continued to constrict.  
>"Roza, what's wrong? Talk to me," Dimitri cried out in a worried tone as he jumped up from his seat coming to my aid.<p>

"Can't breathe, too tight," I gasped pulling at my sweater as if somehow that would help me breathe easier. His hands were on my face and I could vaguely hear him telling me to stay with him while he dialed 911.

DPOV

I had been very excited about my plans for Valentine's Day with Roza. I had pulled out all the stops renting a small cabin about a half an hour outside of town. I'd made her dinner and made a fire in the fireplace. She was going to love it.

She seemed to be enjoying herself. I was so happy she liked my cooking. I was nervous that she wouldn't. About halfway through dinner she started coughing. Water didn't seem to help and then her face began turning red with blotches and I could tell she was struggling to breathe.

"Roza, you need to breathe," I told her as I called for an ambulance. She was gasping for air and I didn't know how much longer she would last.

"We're thirty-five minutes out. You're going to have to find a way to relieve the anaphylactic reaction. Does the patient carry an epi-pen?" The dispatch officer asked.

"No, I don't know," I said trying to think. Rose had no known allergies listed in her medical file.

"Wait!" I cried remembering my PI kit. I had taken a first aid class about a year ago and there had been an epi-pen in my bag. It was in the trunk.

"Hold on Roza," I commanded squeezing her hand. She was beginning to turn purple from lack of oxygen. I rushed out to my car and started throwing things out of the trunk. My hand closed around the pen and I ran back to her tripping on the slippery ground. After righting myself I rushed inside opened the canister, threw the plastic tube to the ground and jammed the pen into the fleshiest part of her thigh. She convulsed as I did so and I waited the recommended ten seconds before withdrawing the needle tossing it to the ground.

I picked the phone back up from where I'd tossed it.

"I gave her the shot," I rasped into the phone.

"We're thirty minutes out. She needs medical attention. Keep her calm and talk to her until we get there. Do you want me to stay on the line with you?" I didn't even here the end of her question as I had already let the phone fall back to the ground.

"Roza, you have to stay with me," I pleaded stroking her sweaty forehead. She was still wheezing, but at least she was breathing.

"Ya Tebya lyublyu Milaya Moya," I whispered kissing her purple lips softly.

"I need you to pull through this." She squeezed my hand lightly and it was all I could do not to break down right now.

I put a blanket over her shivering body and laid her head in my lap. I couldn't lose her. Tonight I was going to tell her I loved her. She needed to pull through this so I could tell her properly.

Some time passed and I was singing her a lullaby my mother used to sing for me as a child when I heard the wail of the ambulance as it pulled up the driveway.

Two EMTs burst through the door and I watched as they took her pulse, strapped on an oxygen mask and started an IV.

"Do you want to ride with her or drive yourself?" one asked.

"I'll ride with her," I said not in any condition to be driving.

"Okay then one two three," he said as they lifted her onto a stretcher.

"You did really well," one of them said patting me on the back as we arrived at Astoria General Hospital.

"She's going to be alright?" I asked.

"The odds are in her favor thanks to you."

As soon as he left and they wheeled Rose off for treatment a nurse approached me.

"Sir, can you tell me the name of the patient?" she asked. "Are you a blood relative that can authorize treatment?"

"Her name is Rosalie Ozera and no she is my girlfriend," I told her anxious to know what was going on.

"Oh my lord. Gisele, come quick, Oksana Ozera's daughter has just been admitted for anaphylaxis. Get her on the phone now."

"We'll take it from here. You can wait in the waiting room for her family," she directed me to a small sitting room with ugly brightly colored furniture and a fish tank.

I sat down putting my head in my hands. She was young and healthy and I had given her the shot early enough. She was a fighter and she'd pull through this. A tear slid down my cheeks as I felt the box in my pocket. I had planned on surprising her with a gift after dinner. I hoped I had the chance to give it to her.

I sighed, picking up my phone. I had a call I needed to make.

**Wow I wonder what she ate to make her react like that? Any ideas? Will he catch on? Will she be okay? Who did Dimitri call? Review or Rose will take a turn for the worst=)**


	34. Chapter 34: Emergency

**Chapter 34: Emergency **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

CPOV

"Are you enjoying yourself?" I asked as Lissa and I strolled hand in hand through the underwater viewing tanks at the Astoria zoo. I had found this online deal at a price I could afford. It was a night at the zoo. They had closed to regular patrons and set up candle lit tables for two in the underwater viewing section near the dolphin exhibit and the polar bears. I knew how much Lissa loved dolphins so when I saw that I could actually afford it, I booked it right away.

"I am," she said smiling. She truly was the most amazingly beautiful woman I'd ever known.

"Hey look there's another one," she said pointing at the tank.

"Aww look it's a baby," she cooed placing her hands on the tank. I slipped my arms around her waist and sighed contentedly kissing her neck.

"So I got my acceptance to San Diego," I told her.

"Me too," she said.

"They're giving me a full ride," I added.

"Oh my God! Christian that's fantastic. I thought it was a long shot, but now we can get our little apartment and oh it's going to be so fabulous." She threw her arms around me in a death grip.

"I can't wait!" she cried.

"Me neither Liss," I told her loving the feeling of having her in my arms. I had really thought we were going to separate next year. We'd applied for early admission to ten different universities. Some had offered me a few thousand in scholarship and some had offered half, but I was beginning to think I'd be stuck at community college with Rose when I received the letter that San Diego State had given me one hundred percent of my tuition plus a stipend for living expenses and books.

"Hey your purse is buzzing," I told her.

"I'll let it go to voicemail," she said enjoying to moment too much to answer a call. Five minutes later I was fed up as her phone was continuously buzzing with new voicemails and texts.

"Just answer it," I growled in annoyance.

"That's weird they're all from Dimitri," she said. "I hope nothing's wrong."

"Here let me," I told her grabbing the phone out of her hand while it rang.

"Lissa?" Dimitri's voice came across the line. He sounded frantic.

"No it's Christian. Why are you blowing up my girlfriend's phone?" I asked.

"It's Rose, there's been an emergency. We're at the hospital," he said.

"What's wrong? Was it a car accident?" I asked grabbing Lissa's hand signaling for her to walk with me to the car. We had to get to the hospital fast.

"I'll explain when you get here," he said sounding almost as if he were crying.

"Are my parents there?"

"They've been called, but they're not here yet. It's just me and they won't let me see her or tell me anything. They want a family member to consent for treatment."

"We'll be there in ten," I said hanging up.

"What's wrong? How is Rose?" Lissa asked. She looked pale and very freaked out.

"I don't know. It sounds bad. Belikov is a wreck and my parents aren't there."

"What are you doing?" I asked as we pulled out of the lot.

"Texting Mia, Jill, Sydney and my brother. Do you think I should call Adrian?"

"I guess. He's her friend. They spend a lot of time together. She'd be mad if we didn't." In truth I still didn't like the guy much, but I liked him a lot better now that his girlfriend was here. She seemed pretty normal.

"Hey Adrian, it's Lissa. I'm sorry to interrupt your night, but Dimitri just called us and said Rose is in the hospital. I don't know what's wrong, but it sounded bad. We're on our way now. Okay yea, meet us there," she said before hanging up.

We rushed through the double doors into the hospital to find Dimitri trying to persuade the nurse to let him into Rose's room.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but she is a minor and you are not a family member," the nurse reminded him trying to remain calm. I had a feeling he was not taking no for an answer. Luckily I knew the nurse behind the rotation desk. She worked with my mom.

"He isn't, but I am," I said approaching the desk.

"Christian, I'm so glad you're here. I tried your parents three times. They haven't picked up their phone. Your mother probably thinks we're calling her in to work," she said.

"It's fine. I want to see her. I will call my parents. What the hell happened?" I asked turning to Belikov.

"We were having dinner and she must have been allergic to something. She started wheezing and turning blue. I gave her the shot of epinephrine and they brought her here. They won't tell me anything else," he growled.

"She's in room 118. I'll take you back. She's stable for now, but we gave her a lot of medication so she's going to sleep it off," the nurse interrupted.

"Do you know what caused it?"

"She has no allergies listed. It must be something new."

"What did you make for dinner?" I asked Belikov.

"Russian food. There were probably a lot of things she'd never had before," he said looking incredibly guilty.

"Hey, it's not your fault man. Who would have known? Let's just be glad she's alright."

We were outside her room now.

"Those two," she started.

"Are her best friend and her boyfriend and they're with me," I said with no room for argument.

"Well don't tell anyone, but go ahead," she said glancing around.

I wasn't prepared for all the tubes and monitors she was hooked up to. She looked pale and weak which was so unlike my sister. She was usually so strong and fierce. It hurt me to see her like this. Lissa had already made herself comfortable on one side of the bed.

"Rose, please be okay. You can't die. There's a huge sale at the mall next week and it would really suck if I had to miss it for your funeral," she said squeezing my sister's hand tightly. I almost had to laugh. Rose was unconscious and my girlfriend was droning on about shopping. That was her way of coping with everything I guess.

"Are you going to try your parents again?" Dimitri asked taking a seat on the opposite side as Lissa.

"Oh shit, I forgot," I told him just as Adrian burst through the door. His hair was mussed, he had lipstick stains all over his cheeks and mouth and his tie was crooked. Avery followed looking much the same.

"Well I guess I don't have to ask what you two were doing when you got the call," I snarked stepping out of the room to use my cell phone.

"Christian, what is it?" my mother asked finally picking up her cell.

OPOV

"Are you going to answer that?" my husband asked me as my phone rang for the third time.

"No, it's just work. They're probably shorthanded and there's no way I'm leaving this fabulous date to go in and cover for some twenty-year old who had to have the night off to have sex in the back seat of her boyfriend's car," I told him rolling my eyes.

After the stress of the past few months, my husband had decided we deserved a night out on the town and had convinced a friend to comp him a night at luxury hotel in Portland. He'd surprised me with the keys after dinner and I was delighted.

"Who's going to tell the kids?" I asked.

"Do you honestly think either of them will notice?" he asked seductively nibbling my ear.

"Mark," I chastised slapping his hands away as he tried to unbutton my dress.

"That isn't responsible parenting."

"Eh, they're nearly eighteen and are going to go off to college soon. Besides, whatever they can do after dark in a dingy motel room, they can do during the day under a tree at the lake or don't you remember our first time?" he asked kissing my hand.

I giggled remembering how we used to park our car down by the old pond and spread out a picnic blanket underneath the big old tree he'd carved our initials into.

"You know the thought of my children out there having sex isn't really a turn on," I told him wrinkling my nose at the thought.

"Does this turn you on?" he asked sliding his hand up my bare thigh.

"Ugh, God yes," I moaned allowing him to continue.

When my phone rang for the fourth time I was about to chuck it out the twentieth story window when I noticed it was Christian's name flashing across the screen.

"Hold on, I need to get this it's the kids," I told him.

"Christian, what is it?" I asked slightly annoyed that we couldn't have one night to ourselves.

"Mom it's Rose. Dimitri had to take her to the hospital. They tried calling, but you weren't picking up." His voice sounded frightened and I could have kicked myself for ignoring those other calls.

"What happened? Was there an accident?" I was already slipping on my shoes and buttoning my dress back up.

"What is it honey?" Mark asked inquisitively.

"Rose had to be rushed to emergency," I hissed grabbing my purse.

"Is she alright?" he sounded panicked now.

"Hold on, I'm trying to find out."

"Christian is she alright?" I asked.

"She's stable. Dimitri had to give her a shot of epinephrine to counteract the anaphylaxis. She was allergic to something she ate at dinner."

"We'll be there as soon as we can, but we're in Portland. Did you call Tasha?" I asked.

"No, should I?"

"Yes, she's closer than we are tonight. She had plans to stay at a friend's house about twenty minutes outside of Astoria. Call her and tell her to come. She's twenty-one and can make decisions if need be."

"Is she conscious?" I asked tears forming in my eyes.

"Not yet, they gave her a lot of drugs. Lissa, Adrian and Dimitri are with her right now."

"Okay we'll be there as soon as we can."

"What's going on?" my husband asked in agitation.

"Rose had an anaphylactic reaction and Dimitri used his epi-pen on her. She could have died Mark and I wasn't there. My baby is in the hospital and needs me and I didn't answer my phone," I cried rushing to the elevator.

"Shh, it's going to be okay," he tried soothing me.

"No it's not! We're her parents. How could we not know what she's allergic to? This is all my fault."

"Oksana, you have to stop that. We gave that little girl the best life we could. We've given everything up for her, our family, our friends; we burned our house to the ground and gave up our life savings. You have got to stop blaming yourself. We did the best we could. This could happen to anyone anytime. Allergies are not something you can control," he said soothing me.

I took a deep cleansing breath. I knew he was right, but I just didn't want her to suffer anymore. I'd sat up with her for months after we moved to the new house while she screamed and thrashed and cried for her Anne. She fought me tooth and nail for baths and refused to get dressed and threw her food on the floor demanding a baba. I found it strange that a six year old would want a baba, but she screamed over and over again until I gave in and fixed her a bottle and then she looked at me like I was crazy and threw it at the wall. I felt terrible for how relieved I was that she seemed not to remember those days.

"We've been through worse," he said clasping my hand in his as he took the wheel. I leaned my head against the window trying to calm myself. He was right. Christian had been far sicker than this many times and we'd pulled through it.

ADRIAN POV

"Mmm yea, right there baby." I loved it when she talked dirty to me while we were making love. We'd decided to spend a quiet Valentine's day at home. She made dinner and I promised to provide her with one hell of a dessert which was what we were doing right now.

It would have been perfect except for the incessant buzzing of my cell phone.

"Ugh, just answer it. You know you want to," she said handing me my phone. It was Lissa and that was slightly surprising. I thought Christian had a pretty decent plan for tonight. Maybe not.

"Hello," I answered.

"Hey Adrian, it's Lissa. I'm sorry to interrupt your night, but Dimitri just called us and said Rose is in the hospital. I don't know what's wrong, but it sounded bad. We're on our way now."

"My heart leapt into my throat at the thought of my best friend being in pain. I wondered what had happened. So help me if that Russian did anything to her he'd be a dead man!

"We will be there soon," I told her.

"Okay yea, meet us there," she said before hanging up.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Avery asked putting her hand on my shoulder. She could tell by my stiff posture that something had happened.

"Rose is in the hospital," I said sadly.

"Is she okay?" she asked looking slightly more concerned than I thought she'd be.

"I don't know. Lissa said it's pretty serious. Would you hate me too much if I asked you if we could go to the hospital?" I asked.

"No, we should go. Rose is your best friend," she said getting out of bed pulling on her jeans and sweater. I wasn't fully undressed yet, but I looked a mess.

"Let's go," she said grabbing the keys.

Rose looked terribly pale with fading red blotches all over her face. They were giving her oxygen.

"What happened?" I asked Christian had returned from calling his parents and we were all standing around Rose's bedside.

"I made her dinner and she had an allergic reaction," Dimitri said from where he sat clasping her hand in his.

"She didn't know she had an allergy?" I asked puzzled as to why she'd eat something she knew would make her sick.

He shook his head. "She probably had never tried most of it. I made her traditional Russian food," he said sounding morose.

"That makes sense. There are a lot of things we use over on that side of the world that are entirely uncommon over here," Avery agreed.

"Okay, there are too many people in here. Family only," a nurse came in to shoe us out.

"Come on," I said motioning for Belikov to follow the rest of us out.

"I don't want to leave her," he said his eyes never leaving her

"Sir, I need you to go out to the waiting room. She needs to rest and her parents will be here soon. I also need you to make a list of all the ingredients you used to make dinner," she said thrusting a pen and paper at him.

"That way we can determine what set off her reaction so she doesn't consume it again. It's our only way of protecting her."

I could see him wrestling internally with whether or not he should comply with her request. His fierce protectiveness of Rose won out and he reluctantly disentangled his hand from hers leaning down whispering something in her ear before kissing her forehead softly.

We sat in the waiting room and waited and waited. Dimitri made the list and handed it to the nurse.

I peeked at it before he handed it over. There was at least one thing on there I was allergic to myself. I remembered being rushed to the hospital myself as a child after consuming juniper berries. It was not a pleasant afternoon.

RPOV

I woke up to the steady beeping of a hospital monitor. I don't ever remember being in the hospital before, but God knows I'd spent enough time here with my brother to know the sounds.

"Hey, you're awake." The first voice I'd expected to hear was definitely not my sister.

"Tasha?" I questioned. My head was pounding and my eyelids felt heavy as I tried to open them.

"I'm here Rose, it's okay. You're at the hospital," she said softly putting her hand over mine. It was warm or rather that I was cold.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Sweetie you had an allergic reaction to something you ate. Do you remember being out with Dimitri for Valentine's day?" she asked.

I nodded slowly recollecting Dimitri making me a candle lit dinner at a cabin. I slapped myself internally. I really thought tonight we were going to be together. I'd even worn my sexiest underwear. I started to panic that my parents would see it in my little plastic bag that was probably stuffed under my bed.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Tasha asked worriedly at my increase in heart rate.

"Can you grab my bag full of clothes?" I asked.

"Sure why?" She reached underneath my bed grabbing the bag.

"Oh, I see what you're doing," she said raising her eyebrow as I reached my hand into the bag fishing out my lacy black panties and matching bra.

"Can you get rid of these?" I asked.

"I'll put them in my purse, but what are you going to do go home without them? That will look even worse," she said.

"I guess I didn't think about that," I sighed. Man was I tired.

"Where is everyone?"

"Christian is out giving your friends an update and Mom and Dad were in Portland. They should be here any minute."

"Why are you here? Not that I'm not grateful."

"Rose, you're my sister. They called and told me you were in the emergency room. Did you really think I wasn't going to come?"

I shrugged. "You don't seem to like me all that much. I figured you'd be happy if I keeled over."

"Don't say that!" she said in a serious tone. "I would never wish you dead. That's horrible Rose. Do you really think that ill of me?"

"No, I'm sorry," I apologized.

"Rose oh my poor Rosie," my mother cried as she and my father burst through the door.

"I'll be in the waiting room," Tasha said excusing herself.

"Mom," I said tears falling from my eyes.

"Shh it's okay baby,Mommy's here," she said sitting down on the edge of my bed enveloping me in her arms.

"Hey kiddo, how you feeling?" my father asked sitting down on the other side of me so that I was sandwiched between them.

"I'm tired," I admitted stifling a yawn.

"That's from the drugs," my mother said.

"Is there anything we can get you?" my father asked.

I nodded. "Can I see Dimtri for just a few minutes?" He was probably freaking out right now.

"I'll go get him," my mother said with a small smile.

"Oh and Mom," I said stopping her in her tracks.

"Yes Rose?"

"Will you camp out here with me tonight. I don't want to be alone."

"Where else would I be baby?" she said kissing my cheek softly.

A few minutes later Dimitri popped his head into the room. His eyes lit up as he realized I was awake.

"Roza, prostate Milaya." He crossed the room clutching me in his arms tightly spouting off a million and one words of Russian. I had no idea what he was saying, but I knew he felt guilty.

"Are you okay?" he asked pulling back so he could look at me.

"Well my hair has seen better days and this tacky gown does nothing for me," I said grinning at him.

"Only you would joke at a time like this," he said pulling me closer to him.

"I am so sorry. I had no idea you'd react like that. I almost lost you," he breathed into my neck. I could feel the contracting of his chest as he let out a sob. I could feel his tears as they dripped down my neck.

"Hey, it's not your fault Comrade," I told him snuggling deeper into his embrace.

DPOV

After making the list of ingredients I'd used, one of them caught my eye. Fuck my life! The fifth ingredient on the list was exactly what she'd eaten right before she'd begun to cough. Juniper berries, the same thing Rosemarie Mazur was allergic to. Yet another unexplainable coincidence. I had to start facing the music. I had done my job and rather poorly at that. The girl I'd come here to find was the girl I had fallen in love with. Any hopes I had of her forgiving me for my lies were dashed if she really turned out to be Rosemarie. I was going to blow her life apart with one single phone call.

I had sent her DNA in last week under an alias and had requested the results come directly to me at my secret P.O. box instead of to Abe like the last ones had gone. If it was her and I was now thoroughly convinced that it was, then I wanted to be the first to know. I had to figure a few things out before I divulged the information to Abe. I needed to protect her which meant I had to throw Avery off the trail at least for now.

The biggest thing I needed to figure out was how the hell she ended up with the Ozera's. Did they know Janine? Were they relatives of hers? Did they know that Abe was looking for his daughter and kept her from him this entire time?

I needed to know what their story was or I wouldn't be able to help them. I knew if it was left up to Abe, he would blow a gasket and either have them killed, maimed or sent to prison for life. I just didn't think they were bad people. There had to be more too it. I needed to know what happened. I wanted to ensure that everything worked out so that Rose would get the best possible outcome. I just didn't know if that would be possible. She'd be upset either way.

"Dimitri," Oksana Ozera's voice forced me out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry," I told her like that made up for me almost killing her daughter.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. I think it was sweet of you to cook for her. It was very romantic."

"I wanted her to experience some things from my home," I said sheepishly.

"I'm sure she would have enjoyed it very much," she assured me. See she was really nice. I couldn't imagine her being a cold hearted kidnapper.

"Rose is asking for you," she said.

I jumped to my feet eager to see her.

After breaking down and crying like a baby, I held her tightly in my arms. "I'm never letting you go," I whispered. "There is nothing more important to me in this world than you. If I would have lost you," I said my voice breaking.

"Hey, you know me. I'm too stubborn to die," she joked again trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, you are my love," I told her.

"Sorry I ruined your nice dinner," she apologized.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just sorry I never got to tell you what I was going to tell you," I told her.

"What would that be?" she asked running her fingers up and down my arm.

I took a deep breath.

"I love you," I told her looking deep into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. I knew I was setting myself up for an epic failure, but I couldn't contain it anymore. I needed her to know how I felt.

"I am so irrevocably in love with you that it hurts me when I'm not with you," I told her.

"I know that makes me sound like a girl, but it's true. I can't live without you."

"I'm in love with you too Comrade. I've never felt this way before," she whispered biting her lip nervously.

My heart was overjoyed at her admission and even though I knew she'd been through a lot I couldn't help kissing her with passion. She responded eagerly and I slipped my arms around her waist. Abe Mazur was surely going to kill me for falling in love with his teenage daughter, but at this moment I didn't care. The only thing that mattered to me was that she was safe and alive and in my arms. Never mind that starting tomorrow I would be investigating her parents, family members, friends and everyone else in her life. For now, I was content to let her sleep in my arms. I'd worry about everything else tomorrow.

**Wow so those of you who guessed Dimitri would get to the truth first were definitely right. Avery was a good guess, but she never really figured it out for sure. She only suspects at this point. So do you think he's going to keep it to himself when the DNA test comes back positive? Will anyone else catch on? Will he be able to throw Avery off Rose's scent? I will try to update Thursday. I have a big family wedding this weekend and will be running around like a nut so if you don't hear from me until Monday please don't be mad! I really want to update. Review with the answers I seek and you may get a special treat! **


	35. Chapter 35: Investigations

**Chapter 35: Investigations**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

DPOV

This last month had been excruciating for me. I'd never been so on edge. Waiting for Rose's DNA results and poking into her parent's background had not been pleasant. Not to mention that it was one hell of a job keeping Avery off her scent. She was persistent if nothing else. I had managed to plant fake information in Rose's medical files to keep her from finding out that Rose was indeed allergic to juniper berries. When Avery had hacked the file it said she was allergic to terragon leaves. That in itself was a bitch to get accomplished. I'd had to contact the only person I knew with the technology to implant this information. He'd in turn given me some information of his own. Apparently shortly before Christmas he was contacted to fake a birth certificate and a social security card for none other than Rosalie Ozera.

That was not the only thing the Ozera family was hiding. I'd dug into the fire that occurred in their old house and the initial investigation had suspected arson, but later it was chalked up to an overheated heating coil. The report had been tampered with in order to cover up the fact that Mark Ozera had torched his own house. That was my speculation. I was beginning to wonder if leaving Rose with them was safe. They seemed the picture of a loving family, but why then go through the extremity of faking a birth certificate and burning your house to the ground? What were they hiding and did Christian and Tasha know? I was fairly certain that Christian was in the dark, but I wasn't so sure about Tasha. It would be a lot harder to fake memories for a nine year old than a six year old. Besides her unnatural dislike for Rose would lead me to conclude that she knew that Rose didn't belong to them.

As far as I could speculate was that Rose had come to live with the Ozera's sometime in March of two thousand. I figured that it was March 23rd as they considered that her birthday although it was actually January 27th. If I was correct then how did Rose come to live with them and where had Janine taken her between December 21st and March 23rd? There were three whole months unaccounted for.

Christian's memory loss could be explained by a medical report that said he'd taken a nasty fall down the stairs shortly after they moved to their new house. He suffered severe head trauma and the files said that he had significant memory loss. Rose's would probably be explicable if I could figure out what had happened to her in the months prior to having been taken in by the Ozera's. Unfortunately Janine had covered her tracks all too well.

The worst part of this whole thing was trying to keep up appearances with her parents and Adrian. Abe was on my tail and I was trying to throw Avery off. It was so hard being so close to Rose without being able to tell her the truth. I hated lying to her and the longer this went on, the worse the fallout. I had to be sure though. Everything in my gut was screaming that she was the one, but I needed the DNA results to be conclusive. I hadn't been able to get a sample from Abe because I wanted to keep it a secret for now so I had used a sample from Adrian instead. The results would be in any day and I dreaded opening that envelope.

I sighed heavily. I didn't have time to think about that now. Tomorrow was the last day of school before spring break and our senior trip. Rose was so excited that we were going to be in Disneyland for her birthday. I had to make this trip good for her in case I was going to blow her life apart after. I wanted her to have some good memories of me before she hated my guts. Besides that, Abe had decided that it was time for him to make an appearance and would be arriving shortly after we returned from our trip. I only hoped that I'd figure everything out before he arrived. I really wished I could talk to my mother about this. She would know what to do.

RPOV

"Mom, have you seen my black yoga pants?" I called from where I was upstairs packing my suitcase. Tomorrow we were leaving for Disneyland. Four whole days of bright sunshine and carefree fun with my friends and my boyfriend. I sighed in contentment fingering the beautiful necklace Dimitri had given me for Valentine's day. Well he had actually given it to me two days later after they'd released me from the hospital. I still had no idea what I was allergic to. My parents were waiting on the results of all the blood tests they'd given me. You'd think they'd be able to do things quicker with technology these days, but as it turns out my original results were lost and I had gone back in two days ago to get repoked and prodded. They said my results would be back soon. Whatever it was couldn't be too common. I'd never had a reaction before.

Poor Dimitri had been apologizing profusely. He thought it was all his fault.

"Here they are," my mother said setting down a fresh pile of laundry on my bed. She'd really taken to babying me since the whole incident happened. She'd been making my favorite cookies and foods, she'd taken me for a mani-pedi the other day and she'd been doing my laundry. She hadn't done my laundry in years. She'd even let me take the car out several times this week.

"Thanks mom," I said hugging her tight.

"Your welcome and don't forget this," she said handing me my double shot EpiPen. I guess I'd been really lucky that Dimitri had allergies too. If he hadn't have had one of these I would have died in that cabin. I shuddered at the thought.

"We're going to miss you on your birthday," my mother said looking sad.

"Oh Mom, stop being such a sap. You've had me for seventeen other birthdays. I'm sure you'll live. Plus you can always call me," I said waving my phone in front of her. It was beat up and barely did more than call or text, but hey a phone is a phone right. Although I'd kill to have the new IPhone4 like Lissa had just gotten.

"I know, but it's you're eighteenth. You're not my baby girl anymore," she said. Oh great here come the water works.

"I don't remember you crying when Tasha or Christian turned eighteen," I groaned.

"That's because you're my last little baby," she sobbed. Oh lordy lordy.

"It's okay Mom," I said stroking her back. Geez you'd think I was moving to another country instead of going on a four day trip.

"Lissa do you think you packed enough?" She had three Louis Vuitton suitcases and a large duffel bag.

"What, I need all my shoes and make up. You never know when you're going to need it."

"Good luck carrying her stuff Sparky," I laughed slapping my brother on the back.

"Good morning Roza," Dimitri said coming up behind me placing a kiss on my neck. I turned around giving him a smile I reserved only for him.

"Dobre Utro Comrade," I told him practicing the new Russian term Lissa taught me.

"You know I find it very sexy when you speak Russian to me Milyaya," he responded capturing my lips with his.

"These are for you," he said handing me a small paper bag and a thermos.

"What's this?" I asked.

"My special hot chocolate and some chocolate donuts from that bakery you like so much," he said with a grin.

"You are officially the best boyfriend ever!" I kissed him quickly as the line to board the coach bus began to move.

"Sit next to me," he whispered.

"I want the aisle so I can talk to Lissa," I said.

"Agreed."

We took seats near the back with Christian and Lissa across from us, Eddie and Mia in back Andre and Sydney next to them Mason and Jill Sat in front of Lissa and Christian.

"Where's Adrian?" Lissa asked glancing around.

"I'm here," he said rushing onto the bus breathless.

"Where's Avery and why are you so late?"

"They wouldn't let her ride the bus, so she's taking the car and meeting us there," he said plopping into the seat in front of us.

"Why didn't you ride with her?" Dimitri asked quizzically.

"Stupid rules state that as a student, I have to ride on the bus," he growled.

Dimitri snickered and I didn't quite get whatever their private joke was, but I was glad they were getting along.

"Mmm this hot chocolate is fabulous. Thank you," I said stuffing half a donut in my mouth.

"Well, I promise I will try not to kill you this time," he said looking a little forlorn.

"Hey, don't talk like that. How could you have known? Hell I didn't know and the hospital is being really slow about telling me. Don't worry though I'm packing a double hit of epi in my purse, in case you feel the urge to stab me again. You know some girls find that a turn on," I joked.

"Roza," he chastised stroking my hair. I knew how upset he was over what happened that night. He fingered the necklace he'd given me where it fell on my neck.

"I'm glad you like it. I ordered it special from Russia. I almost didn't get to give it to you," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Hey stop. I'm fine. I've been fine. I love you and I'm fine. It wasn't your fault."

"God I love hearing you say you love me," he said.

"Well I do," I said pulling out my IPOD.

I leaned my head onto his shoulder letting him wrap his arms around me and drifted off to sleep.

DPOV

As I sat on the bus holding my precious girl in my arms, I realized that this trip might be the last time I ever saw her. An envelope had arrived this morning and I knew that if I opened it now, it would confirm what I already knew deep in my heart. Rosalie Ozera and Rosemarie Mazur were one and the same. I would tell Abe and he would do God knows what and Rose would find out who I was and why I was there. She would blame me for ruining her life. I did not know what Abe would do to Mark and Oksana once he found out they'd been hiding his daughter all these years.

I supposed that depended on how she came to be with them and how much they knew about who she was and where she came from. They had to have been pretty desperate to hide her if they'd burnt down their house and cut all ties with majority of their family and friends.

What I really wanted to know was why them? Did Janine pick them? Did they know each other? Did she just bring Rose to them and say here keep my daughter? If so what did she tell them that had them running scared? I couldn't imagine they'd keep her from Abe if they knew he was out there looking for her for the past twelve years. That seemed pretty heartless.

I'd scoured anything and everything in their past and couldn't find a single thing that would tie them to Janine Mazur, formerly Hathaway. There was no family relationship. The Ozera's had never traveled outside of the United States with the exception of Tasha last year. I just couldn't understand how she ended up with them.

I didn't want Abe to go crazy and have them arrested until I knew how they ended up with her. Ugh my head hurt so badly thinking about it.

I fingered the envelope in my back pocket praying for a miracle. I prayed that I would open it and it would say she wasn't a match. For now though, I would be the best boyfriend I could be and make every moment I had with my Roza count.

**Next chapter will be one you won't want to miss. We're going to have a little Disney fun and Dimitri is going to make the most out of Rose's birthday. Does anyone think that the cake should be Lemon flavored? =)=) What do you think Abe will do to Mark and Oksana? **

**Will hope to update Monday at the latest Tuesday! Leave me some love. **


	36. Chapter 36: The Magic of Disney

**Chapter 36: The Magic of Disney**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

**So sorry for the delay. The wedding was great, but I was dead tired the rest of the weekend. Enjoy this chapter is dedicated to all my loyal readers. Also, just letting you know that it made my day when people who reviewed actually though I was talking about a lemon flavored cake=) **

RPOV

"This is awesome," Mia gasped as we disembarked from our bus after the seventeen hour ride It had been long and we'd only stopped once to refuel, switch drivers, use the restroom and get food at a McDonalds. She was right though. The front of the Disneyland Hotel was amazing. It was fun to be surrounded by all sorts of excitement. It was almost catching. I was still a little sleepy from the ride, but had slept comfortably on Dimitri's shoulder. I smiled thinking about how much time we'd be spending together the next three days.

"Okay, find your group chaperone. Girls on this side and boys on this side Alto barked. He was the boys chaperone along with Mr. Tanner and my Dad and Ms. Petrov and Miss Ivashkov were the girl's chaperone's oh joy. I think my mother purposely sent my father on this trip so Christian and I would behave ourselves. It was always the threat of embarrassing our dad at work. I was sort of glad he came though. This was my first time away from home without my mother. We hadn't really gone on too many family vacations. Money was tight so usually they just took us to a water park for the day or camping in a tent, which I hated. Lissa's family had offered numerous times for us to go on vacation with them, but my mother had always been a little skittish about letting us out of her sight. I was surprised she hadn't packed herself in my suitcase for this trip. She had been really upset that I would be turning eighteen tomorrow and she would not be here to celebrate it with me.

"I will see you later," Dimitri said kissing my cheek leaving me to join the rest of the guys where they were.

"Okay it is three to a room," Ms. Petrov said holding up the key cards. "There will be no funny business, no boys in your rooms and you will be inside by midnight after the firework displays." We all moaned and groaned as usual.

She handed us our key cards and we dragged our luggage to the elevator. We were staying on the fifth floor. Our rooms as it turned out were all the way to the furthest point of one end and the boys were on the sixth floor all the way on the other end. They really didn't want us having any fun on this trip.

"Here they are," Lissa said sticking her key into the room on the end. It would be Lissa, Mia and I in this room and Jill, Sydney and Avery in the second. It was quite an ordeal to allow Avery to stay with us, but Miss Ivashkov had pulled some strings. We couldn't have Adrian moping about ruining our whole trip because he missed her.

"Hey they're adjoining," Lissa squealed excitedly opening the door between the two rooms.

"That is awesome!" Mia said pumping her fist in the air. We all started unpacking our stuff and putting it into our respective drawers and closet spaces.

"There are only two beds," Mia whined.

"It's cool. I'll sleep on the couch," I volunteered.

"No Rose that's stupid. They're queen's. You can sleep with me," Lissa offered.

"Whatever," I shrugged pulling some more items out of my bag.

"It's not like we're actually going to be sleeping in here," Mia said.

"What do you mean?" I asked dumbly.

"Oh Rose, I forgot. You still have your V card," she said in a slightly condescending tone.

"Gee Mia, I had totally forgotten," I said rolling my eyes. She could be a real bitch sometimes.

"What it means is that we're going to sneak over to the boy's rooms and some will sneak over here. It's the perfect time to fool around."

"Mia, my dad is on this trip," I told her.

"So, don't tell me you don't want to have sex with Dimitri," she said hands on her hips. My face flushed crimson.

"Of course I want to," I argued. "We just haven't had the opportunity."

"Yea, like he doesn't have his own private suite at the Dragomir's," she snorted. She was right. We'd had several opportunities, but for some reason I felt he was holding back. I wondered why he hadn't even tried. Maybe that was why he had taken me to the cabin for Valentine's day. Of course my dumb luck had to go and ruin that.

"Mia, leave her alone. She doesn't have to feel pressured into to doing anything she's not ready for," Sydney said coming to my defense, which was utterly mortifying.

"She'll be eighteen for God's sake. She's the only virgin left in the whole school," Mia scoffed.

"That's not true," Jill said quietly.

"Oh come on, who else do you know that isn't doing it?"

"Mason and I haven't," she admitted looking slightly embarrassed.

Mia and Lissa's jaws nearly dropped on the floor.

"What? How is that possible? You've been dating for three years."

She shrugged. "I'm not ready and he loves me so he's waiting."

I really owed Jill a thank you for standing up for me. I had already known that she and Mason were still virgins. He'd confessed it to me once while he was a little tipsy. I actually admired them for being in love, but still respecting each other's decisions.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Jill," Avery said wheeling her suitcase in.

"Tell me you and Adrian aren't doing it?" I snorted.

"We are, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. I love Adrian and we've already planned on marrying after he graduates. For us there isn't anyone else."

"Oh my God! Do you like have a ring and everything?" Lissa cried jumping to her feet excitedly.

"Uh well yea," she said looking a little put off by Lissa's outburst.

"How come he never told us," I asked.

"We're keeping it quiet until after graduation," she said. "Please don't mention it to him. I promised I wouldn't tell," she sounded nervous.

"Okay we won't tell, under one condition," Mia stipulated.

"What's that?" Avery asked with a sigh.

"Show us the ring."

"I can live with that," she said pulling a necklace out from underneath her shirt."

"Holy crap! I know Adrian's loaded, but wow! That must have cost an arm and a leg," I gasped as she placed the ring on the chain into my outstretched hand.

She shrugged. "I guess."

"Oh no, look at the gleam in Lissa's eyes. Christian is going to have to rob a bank to afford the ring she'll demand," Sydney joked.

"Hey," she cried snapping out of her stupor. "I don't care what the ring looks like as long as it's from Tiffany," she said with a smile.

"Right," I laughed knowing that even the cheapest Tiffany engagement ring was out of my brother's price range, not that I wouldn't put it past Lissa to offer to buy her own ring.

"It really is beautiful," I told her placing the ring back in her hand.

"And don't worry, your secret is safe with us."

"Hey Andree just texted. The guys want to go somewhere for dinner. Any preferences?" Sydney asked.

"I already made reservations at the Rainforest Café on the boardwalk," Lissa said checking her IPhone.

"They're for six. I figured we'd be starving."

"Okay that's in an hour. Let's get ready. Tell the guys to meet us downstairs at five forty-five," Mia told Sydney who texted Andree.

"Hey who's all staying with who over there?" Lissa asked. "You know for switches later on."

"Uh, I think it is Dimitri, Adrian and Christian in one room and Andree, Mason and Eddie in the other," Jill said.

"Okay so there are six couples and only four rooms. So that leaves Mason and Jill and Rose and Dimitri to figure out where they're going to sleep," Mia said.

"What?" Jill and I both cried at the same time.

"Well hey, you both said it yourself. You're not having sex so you guys can sleep wherever."

"That isn't fair. I had to save the money to go on this trip," I argued.

"Eh suck it up sister," she said patting my shoulder.

"Well count Adrian and I out. I've got a credit card and I've already rented us a room on the top floor. I'm just putting my stuff in here for show," she said.

"Okay so you guys can flip for it to see who gets to stay and who has to go find somewhere else to sleep."

"I can't believe this," I groaned looking to Lissa and Sydney for help.

"Sorry honey, but it's been a while for us and I so need to get some tonight."

Jill and I shared a look as Mia tossed a coin in the air. "Call it Jill," she said.

"Tails," Jill called nervously. I crossed my fingers hoping it was heads.

"Tails it is. Sorry Rose." They all gave me sympathetic looks.

"Great," I muttered.

"Why don't you tell your dad you don't want to stay in here and share his room? He's got a single."

"Oh great so now not only am I a virgin, but I have to sleep in a room with my dad too!" You guys are unbelievable!" I cried grabbing my backpack, stuffing some clothes in it and heading for the door.

"What about dinner Rose?" Lissa asked.

"Ugh! If I wasn't so damn hungry I'd already be gone," I growled slamming my bag down on the floor.

"Please don't be mad Rose," Lissa pleaded as I changed my clothes in the bathroom.

"How can you just kick me out of a room I paid for? You all have it so easy. It isn't fair," I told her.

"I know and I'm sorry. If my parents didn't keep such a close watch on my credit card, I would totally rent you a room of your own," she apologized.

"Whatever, you all owe me big time," I told her snapping my compact closed and glaring at her.

"Thank you thank you thank you Rose," she cried hugging me tightly.

"I'll even buy you dinner and any souvenir you want," she said trying to sweeten the deal.

"I want Mickey Mouse," I told her.

"Aww I'll get you the biggest stuffed mouse I can find," she agreed.

"No, I want Mickey Mouse," I told her with a wicked grin.

"You mean like the one in the costume?" she asked. I nodded.

"That's going to be hard to find," she stammered.

"So is finding a place to sleep," I told her.

It was a short walk to Downtown Disney and we got right into the restaurant.

"What's the matter Milaya?" Dimitri asked noticing my sullen mood.

"Nothing, just a little argument with Mia is all," I told him. He nodded clasping my hand in his. I wondered if the guys had already informed him that he was homeless for the night. Probably not or he'd be in much the same state as I was.

"What are you having?" he asked.

"I think I'm going to do the coconut shrimp," I told him. "Probably a chocolate shake too."

"I think I'm going to have the Mojo bones Adrian announced loudly."

"Are you sure you don't just want some mojo in your boner?" Eddie teased.

"Oh I've already got that," Adrian said winking at Avery who gave him a dirty look.

"So which park are we going to tomorrow? Disneyland or California Adventure?" Sydney asked taking out a map of the parks.

"It's Rose's choice. It is her birthday and all," Lissa announced.

"Uh, I dunno which one sounds like more fun?" I asked.

"Well the bigger attractions are at California Adventure, but Disneyland is well you know Disneyland."

"What do you think?" I asked Dimitri.

"I think that I'll go anywhere that makes you happy," he replied kissing my cheek.

"Dude you are so whipped," Mason laughed.

"Yea she's got your balls in her pocket," Eddie jibed.

Dimitri shrugged. "I don't mind one bit," he said smiling and me.

"Well I guess we could go to Disneyland first. We do have park hoppers so if it sucks we can go to the other one," I suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. What time are we leaving?" Andree asked directing his question at Lissa.

"Uh how is eight?"

"Fine,we'll all meet in the lobby at eight agreed?"

"I'll get that for you," Dimitri said taking my bill.

"Oh no this one's on Lissa," I said handing her my bill and adding Dimitri's to the pile. She didn't even hesitate before handing the man her card.

Dimitri raised his eyebrows at me. "You'll get it soon enough," I muttered. Everyone disbursed going their own directions leaving the two of us.

"So what do you want to do tonight my love?" he asked kissing my neck making me shiver.

"Uh, I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Well I was kind of hoping you'd want to go to the House of Blues," he told me.

"Yea right, I wish. Kate Voegele is playing and Lissa tried getting tickets, but they were sold out." I was really disappointed. She was my favorite and it was such a coincidence that she was playing here at the exact time we were in town.

"Well what if I told you that Lissa was wrong?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I told her to tell you they were sold out," he said grinning impishly at me.

"Why would you do that?" I asked.

"So I could buy tickets and take you myself," he said pulling two tickets to tonight's concert out of his shirt pocket. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head.

"You're taking me to the concert?" I asked.

"If you want to go," he said casually.

"Oh my God! Yes, I want to go!" I squealed throwing myself at him.

He chuckled loudly at my exuberance.

"You are the best boyfriend ever!" I said peppering his face with kisses. That almost made up for the fact that we had nowhere to sleep later.

"Hey wait, the concert won't be over until late," I told him.

"I already cleared it with your father," he said his eyes sparkling.

We ended up staying out until around twelve thirty before heading back to the hotel.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked as we walked hand in hand down the pier back towards the resort.

"Best concert ever Comrade! Thank you."

"Wait wait stop," he said pulling me to a halt.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's after midnight," he said.

"And?"

"Happy Birthday Roza," he said pulling me in for a tantalizing kiss.

"I was having so much fun, I nearly forgot," I admitted as we broke apart.

"Well I could never forget the day the love of my life was born," he said.

"Hmm does it make me a bad girlfriend that I don't know when your birthday is?" I asked.

"No, it doesn't. You are wonderful," he said as we resumed walking.

We walked in silence for a minute or so.

"It's July thirty-first by the way," he said kissing my hand.

"Good to know."

"Wait where are we going?" I asked.

"To our room," he said.

"Uh about that," I started. "I may or may not have been asked to vacate until morning as all of our rooms are currently occupado," I told him.

He didn't look too upset.

"Hmm yes, I was given similar instruction."

"So where are we sleeping?" I asked.

"Well it just so happens that I have a credit card to be used for emergencies and I rented a room for us," he said pulling me towards the elevator.

"You did?" I asked in awe as he pushed the button for the top floor.

"Well you only turn eighteen once and I wasn't going to let you sleep in a hallway," he said.

"Oh my God," I gasped at the opulence of the room as he opened the door. It was a suite and had a fully furnished sitting room, a large king sized bed and a private balcony with a Jacuzzi tub.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

I nodded unable to speak.

"Rose, I just want you to know that I don't expect anything. This is just for us to sleep. If you are uncomfortable sharing the bed, I will take the couch."

"What? No! I want to wake up next to you," I told him.

"You do?" he asked.

I nodded. "Always," I said planting a kiss on his soft lips.

As we caressed each other I realized that I was ready. I wanted to make love to him tonight. He was the true love of my life and I wanted him to have all of me.

Our kisses grew heady and more passionate.

"We can stop if you want to," he breathed pulling away. 

"No,"I said shaking my head vehemently.  
>"I want to be with you," I said my voice crystal clear. I thought that in this moment, the one where I gave myself to the man I loved, that I would be nervous, but I realized that he was the one. Dimitri was the man I loved and nothing could stand in the way of that. Tonight I would have no fear, no guilt and no regrets.<p>

"Are you sure?" he asked leaning his forehead against mine.

I nodded. In truth, I'd been preparing for this moment for almost a month. After the night in the cabin, I realized it was only a matter of time before we would be together this way. I had bitten the bullet and begged Tasha to take me to her female doctor who had started me on oral contraceptives a little over a month ago. I didn't want to have to worry about it in the heat of the moment. I'd also let Lissa take me shopping for sexy lingere which I'd been secretly wearing for weeks just in case. I thanked my lucky stars that I had shaved and slipped on a lacy black corset and matching panties under my dress earlier.

"I just want you to know that I am completely in love with you Roza. No matter what happens, never doubt what I feel for you. It is more real than anything I've ever known."

"I feel the same way Comrade," I murmured.

He drew me close to his body lifting me of the ground as our bodies molded to each other as he lay me back on the bed.

"I'll be gentle. I promise," he whispered.

Clothes came off and I reveled in each loving caress as we became one for the first time. He was true to his word and was gentle and loving.

Later as I drifted off to sleep, Dimitri's arms draped protectively around my waist, I wondered if life could get any better than this. Tonight had been perfect thus proving that Disney was in fact a magical place.

**One more chapter before the shit hits the fan! Enjoy the love while you can=) Leave me an encouraging review and I'll promise to write faster. **


	37. Chapter 37: One Last Kiss

**Chapter 37: One Last Kiss**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Sorry for the wait. I hope it's worth it=) I have never been to Disneyland, but have done my best to research it. I have been to Disneyworld many many times so if I confuse the two be a dear and pretend I didn't=)**

DPOV

I woke to the alarm on my phone around six-thirty. I smiled as I caught sight of the beautiful woman lying next to me as I reached to turn it off. She stirred, but didn't make a move to leave the comfort my arms provided.

I nestled my face in the back of her neck inhaling the glorious scent of her shampoo. Last night was the most amazing night of my life thus far. Waking up next to her was something I'd been dreaming about since the moment I laid eyes on her. I truly hadn't planned on letting it go this far. I'd arranged it with her friends so that she'd be left without a room so I could lure her up here with me. It had been all too easy to convince them. They were eager to spend time alone with their own boyfriends, but none of them would ever have left her without a place to stay.

Mia thought the idea was a little mean, but agreed to play the bad guy anyway so I could spend her birthday alone with her. They already knew I had planned on taking her to the concert. I thought we'd come back here and talk and kiss like usual and then fall asleep together. I was not prepared when she offered herself to me completely. I will tell you that no straight man on the planet would have been able to turn her down. Even though my mind was screaming at me that I shouldn't be with her like this until she knew the truth, I couldn't help myself. I wanted one perfect night with her untainted by the bomb I was going to drop on her in a short time.

Being with her that way and loving her with everything I had made me question whether or not I wanted to open that envelope. Oh how easy it would be for me to tell Abe that I hadn't found anything and pay him back his money. Then Rose and I could run away together. I sighed at the impossibility of it all.

How in the world did I manage to do the one thing that would hurt her the most? I'd taken her love and her purity without revealing to her that I wasn't who she thought I was. I was in fact the person that would shatter her perfect life. I rationalized that the only two things I had lied about were my age and my profession, two things that many men did not disclose to their lovers right away. I mentally slapped myself for even thinking that things would be okay once she found out.

Now thanks to me, not only would she lose her parents and her siblings, but her first love as well. She didn't have to lose me though. She could forgive my lies and debauchery and we could still be happy together, I mused. That is until Abe finds out that I deflowered his precious daughter and has me beheaded or castrated. I shivered a little at the thought of what was going to happen in the next few days. I had two days before I had to open that envelope. Two days before I had to make the decision to either blow the woman I love's life apart and lose her forever or take matters into my own hands and lie to protect her and myself.

Either way someone would get hurt. I wrestled internally with the thought of the repercussions of either decision. Someday somehow Abe would find someone who would track her down and it would be worse. I had no choice. I had to tell him the truth. He deserved to now his daughter was safe and she deserved to know her real family. I was going to be the biggest loser in this whole thing, but it was my own fault. I should never have let myself fall for her, but how do you give up on the best thing that ever happened to you?

Her phone buzzing brought me back to reality. Her eyes fluttered open and at first she seemed a little confused as to where she was, but smiled as her eyes fell on me.

"Morning Comrade," she greeted stretching her arms up above her head wincing in pain. I knew I hurt her last night. I tried to be as gentle as possible and after a few minutes she had begun to relax. I hated putting her through that, but the thought of her having been with another before me made my blood boil so in a way I took pleasure in her pain. I wanted to be the first and only to ever make love to her. That was highly unlikely due to the fact that in a few days she would quite possibly never speak to me again.

"Dobre Utro maya Roza," I greeted her capturing her lips in a good morning kiss.

"How are you feeling?" I asked hoping she wasn't too sore.

"Never been better," she said curling her still naked body into mine. I allowed myself to revel in the feeling of her hot flesh pressed up against me for a few seconds flashing back to last night and the way she looked splayed out on the bed as I hovered over her worshiping her exquisitely perfect body. I couldn't wait to repeat it, but was saddened by the reality that I would never have another chance to be with her that way.

"Your phone buzzed," I told her breaking the comfortably silence.

"Mmm," she said not making a move to look at it.

"We should really get up," I told her looking back at the clock. It was nearly seven and we had to meet her friends downstairs at eight for breakfast. Lissa had booked a character breakfast with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto for Rose's birthday. It was a private room and all her friends, myself and her father had chipped in.

"It's a text from my mom. She wants me to call her. She's sad it's my birthday and she'd not here," she said yawning as she placed her phone next to her on the bed.  
>"I don't want to get up," she moaned. "Last night was perfect. I want to stay just like this for the rest of my life."<p>

"I would love nothing more than to spend every waking hour in bed naked with you my love, but your friends and father will be waiting for us," I told her reluctant to release her from my embrace.

"Aren't you hungry?" I asked.

"When am I not hungry?" she asked laughing.

She pulled out of my arms and as she stood in all her glory, I realized for the first time that we'd skipped a step last night. I berated myself mentally for not thinking to protect her before we made love.

"Roza," I said slightly timid to broach the subject after our wonderful night together.

"Mmm?" she asked turning to face me. I momentarily lost all train of thought as I took in her beauty.

"You were saying something?" she asked waving her hand in front of my face.

"Oh, uh yea," I stuttered.

"Last night we weren't exactly safe," I rushed out hoping she didn't have a bad reaction. I waited for her to gasp or cry or something, but she just shrugged. I didn't know if she was just trying to be casual about it or if she was one of those girls who were naïve enough to think that they wouldn't get pregnant their first time. I was about to open my mouth again when she sat down on my side of the bed placing her finger over my lips to hush me.

"Don't worry Comrade. I've got it covered," she said with a wink.

"You have it covered?" I asked dumbly.

She looked a little nervous, but continued.

"After the cabin, I realized that I wanted to be with you that way someday so I asked Tasha to take me to the doctor. I started taking the pill last month," she admitted.

I sighed in relief. "You really are something," I said kissing her softly. I don't know why I'd been so nervous. Roza was a smart girl, too smart to leave herself unprotected.

I let her have the first shower so she could call her mother after.

"Uh, my clothes are in my other room," she said coming out of the bathroom in just a towel.

I wanted to scream who needs clothes drop the towel, but my rational self decided to show her the bag Lissa had dropped off last night while we were at the concert.

We made our way downstairs just as the rest of the gang came out of their respective elevators.

"Happy Birthday Rose!" Lissa and Mia squealed at the same time rushing forward to embrace their friend.

"Did you have a good night?" Lissa whispered.

Rose gave her a look that said not now and it was a good thing because her father was right behind us.

"Rosie! Happy Birthday to my last little birdie," he said lifting her off the ground in a giant bear hug.

"Thanks Daddy," she said slightly embarrassed by his grand gesture.

"Did you call your mother yet?" he asked.

"Yes, and she cried," she said rolling her eyes. Now seriously this did not sound like a family who had stolen a child or was harboring a nasty secret. What the hell had happened, I wondered watching them interact.

"You ready for food?" Christian asked hugging her tightly.

"Oh yea," she said smiling.

"Hey, Eddie, are you hungry?" Mason asked with a smirk on his face.

"Oh yea, I'm real hungry," Eddie responded with a similar smirk.

"Oh no!" Rose cried right before the two of them ran at her.

"It's time for a Rose sandwich," they cried smashing her in the middle while they hugged her tight.

She screamed as they began tickling her.

"You guys!" she cried. "Stop!" Tears were running down her face she was laughing so hard.

"Enough!" Adrian cried causing them to cease fire.

"I want to hug the birthday girl," he said grabbing Rose and twirling her around in a circle.

"Happy Birthday Little Cupcake!" he said placing a kiss on her cheek. It killed me that he didn't know that he'd just hugged the sister he'd been looking for his whole life. I felt guilty for keeping it a secret, but I couldn't drop the bomb on her while we were here. She needed one last thing to be normal before it all went to hell.

"Let's get this party started!" Mia whooped as we all headed to the private room Lissa had booked.

"Oh my God!" Rose cried when she saw the craziness that Lissa had planned. There were Mickey balloons and confetti and streamers. There was a huge cake in the shape of Mickey Mouse.

"You guys are awesome!" she cried heading towards the buffet table. She placed two Mickey Waffles, scrambled eggs, three pieces of bacon, two sausage links and some grapes on her plate. She then poured and entire bottle of syrup over everything.

"You think that's enough sugar? Christian asked wrinkling his nose.

"Nope!" she said adding some powdered sugar to her waffles.

"I'm with her," Adrian said plopping down across from her. His plate looked similar.

I grabbed some eggs and bacon and took a seat next to the birthday girl.

"Sheesh Comrade, make me feel like a pig with that tiny plate you have," she said her mouth full of waffle.

"I don't like to mix my foods," I told her honestly. "I will have seconds."

"Eh, it's all going to the same place," she and Adrian chorused at the same time. Everyone at the table laughed as they high fived each other.

Avery just looked between the two with wide eyes and then gave me a pointed look saying see, I told you they were related. I looked down at my food trying to avoid her gaze.

Halfway through the meal the person dressed as Donald Duck came over just as I was sitting down with my second plate of food. He proceeded to sit on my lap with his arms around my neck.

I didn't know what to say and I didn't want to be rude so much to the amusement of the entire room, I ate my pancakes while Donald stroked my hair.

"Hey you silly duck, that one belongs to me," Roza said tapping him on the shoulder.

Donald shrugged and clutched me tighter much to my chagrin. Why did people always have to mess with me? I think it was because I was so tall. They thought it was funny.

"Aww I didn't know you swung that way," Eddie teased while the rest of the crew snapped pictures.

"You know they only harass you to be funny," Rose said trying to make me feel better. Finally after I'd be sufficiently embarrassed Donald gave me a kiss with his giant duck bill and vacated my lap just as Lissa beckoned Mickey Mouse over. He was holding Rose's cake and everyone began to sing.

"Best birthday ever," Rose said blowing out her candles.

"This is awesome!" Rose screeched as we boarded Space Mountain. It was by far the fastest roller coaster I'd ever been on. It was strange though because it was entirely indoors. We'd spent the majority of the day on the rides. Rose seemed to enjoy them all. She even made me ride the teacups that spun in circles until even the manliest man wanted to lose his lunch.

Thankfully I didn't, but she immediately dragged me over to the one ride that the guys had told me to dread. At first I couldn't see what all the fuss was about. It was just a slow boat ride with dolls from all different countries.

Thirty minutes later as the boat sat stuck in the middle of the ride after a brown out shorted out the controls, I knew exactly why they'd caused such a ruckus. Being trapped in a room with hundreds of singing dolls all singing the same annoying song over and over was a nightmare.

"See, I told you we shouldn't have gotten on this one," Andree griped.

"Yea, who's dumb idea was this anyway?" Mason chimed in.

"It was mine," Jill said indignantly.

"No one ever let's me have a say. Now you're all being punished," she said with a gleam in her eye.

I chuckled at little Jill all puffed up.

"Is it really that bad?" Lissa asked.

"Yes!" we all groaned.

"I don't mind being stuck on a boat with you," Rose said smiling at me. We were in the back row of the boat and no one was paying attention to us so I took this opportunity to lay a kiss on her. We sat there making out to the music of 'It's a Small World until the boat lurched causing us to break apart as we began moving again.

"Oh thank God," Eddie cried. I for one wasn't in a hurry to get away from my Roza.

"Where to next?" Mia asked eagerly.

"Hmm our fast passes for Splash Mountain are good right now. How about we do that?" Rose asked.

It was nearing dinner time so I figured going there first would be better so we wouldn't have such a steep drop immediately after eating.

"Sounds good," Eddie replied and we all followed her to Critter Country.

"This is so cool," Jill commented from behind us. It was eight to a log and Rose and I were in the front row with Jill and Mason behind us, Adrian and Avery behind them and Christian and Lissa brought up the rear. Even I had to admit that the animatronic animals that were telling the story of br'er bear, br'er fox and br'er rabbit were pretty darn amusing.

"Uh oh here it comes," Lissa shrieked as we began the climb that would lead us to the fifty-two foot drop at a forty-five degree angle or at least that is what I read online.

"Are you scared?" I asked as we were nearly at the top.

"Nope and I'm not holding on or closing my eyes either," Rose said taking my hand in hers as we reached the final point before we would plummet into the briar patch.

"You ready?" She cried lacing her fingers with mine throwing our arms up in the air as we pitched over the edge.

I could hear her scream in delight as my stomach dropped out from under me. As we splashed down into the pond water sprayed up over the edge drenching us. I spat out the water that had sprayed in my mouth.

"That was the best ride ever! Let's go again!" Rose cried.

"No!" Lissa, Christian and Jill responded.

"You guys are wimps," Rose teased as we looked at the photo they snapped of us as we were falling.

"That's a great photo of you Sparky, I always knew you were a scaredy cat," she teased as Lissa handed the man her credit card purchasing the photo.

"Haha you're so funny," he muttered.

It really was a hilarious photo. Rose and I both had our eyes wide open and our hands tangled together in the air. Jill held on for dear life as she hid her face in Mason's shirt.

Adrian and Avery were in much the same position as we were with smiles on their faces and Lissa's mouth was open in a scream while Christian's face was frozen in terror as he clutched onto her tightly.

"I can't believe you bought that," Christian moaned.

"I got mine on keychain," Adrian bragged handing one to Rose as well. She laughed her butt off as she hooked it onto her backpack.

"So where are we eating?" Sydney asked. She and Andree and Eddie and Mia had opted out of Splash Mountain and had ridden the train around the entire park. Sydney had wanted to take some pictures and according to Rose Mia had intense rabbit phobia and refused to go on anything with bunnies which I found utterly ridiculous.

"I think I have reservations at the Blue Bayou. It's Cajun. After we can go on Pirates of the Carribean," Lissa said checking her phone for the reservation.

"Yep, the Blue Bayou," she confirmed.

"Sounds good to me. I'm starved."

"You're always starved," Adrian laughed.

After dinner we did in fact ride Pirates of the Caribbean, Snow White's Scary Adventures and the Indiana Jones Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

"Where to next?" Eddie asked.

"It's almost time for Mickey's Soundsational Parade and then we need to line up for Fantasmic," Lissa said again consulting her phone.

"I think we have time for one more thing," I told Rose pulling her away from the rest of the group.

"What do you say to a chilling thrill in the Haunted Mansion?" I asked in a spooky voice.

"Ohhhhhhhh that sounds like fun Comrade," she said taking my hand as we ditched the rest of the group.

"Fill in all the dead space," the attendant who was dressed like an old fashioned maid with a feather duster said with a flat affect as she ushered us inside.

They put us in a small room the seemed to grow taller as we stood there. Finally we boarded black motorized seats that moved slowly through the mansion.

"Are you scared yet?" I asked.

"No, but I'll pretend to be if it will make you hold me close," she said with a wink.

I looked around. No one was in the next cart since everyone was lining up for the parade. I took this opportunity to pin her up against the seat kissing her with fervor.

"Mmmm Comrade," she murmured throwing her arms around my neck pulling me closer to her. There was only so far I could maneuver within the restraints of the lap bar, but my hands were free as I slid them up her back tangling them in her hair as we continued to make out like horny teenagers. I will admit that I loved every minute of it.

We were broken apart by the attendant at the end of the ride clearing her throat loudly.

Rose giggled as I pulled her to her feet and we raced out of the building.

The parade was fun and before we got in line for Fantasmic, Lissa decided we had to stop in a souvenir shop.

"Is there anything you'd like?" I asked Rose as we browsed through a massive amount of Disney paraphernalia.

She grinned pointing at the top shelf.

I stared for a minute perplexed at the fuzzy blue stuffed toy she'd pointed out before pulling one down off the shelf and handing it to the cashier.

"What is it?" I asked as Rose snuggled the little blue creature against her face.

"It's Stitch," she said eying me curiously.

"Oh yea, I forgot, you live under a rock," she laughed.

"Lilo and Stitch," she said like that was supposed to mean something to me.

"It's a movie for Pete's sake," Adrian piped in holding up a DVD.

"Did you have a good birthday my love?" I asked as I practically carried her back to the hotel. The Fantasmic show was a lot of fire and tons of special effects and everyone enjoyed it a lot, but it had been a very long day and Rose was exhausted.

"It was fabulous. Thank you everyone for making my birthday the best ever," she said.

"Glad you had a good time," Lissa said yawning.

"Oh and we had them put your gifts in your room," she added as we split up.

"Gifts?" she asked.

"For your birthday silly," Sydney said rolling her eyes.

"Oh yea, I almost forgot. Thanks again."

"Goodnight Little Cupcake," Adrian said kissing her cheek.

"Yea night Rosie," Christian said patting her head.

I opened the door to our room and placed her gently against the pillows on our bed. I proceeded to pull off her shoes.

"Do you want to sleep in your clothes?" I asked.

"No, just my tank top," she said pulling off her shorts and somehow pulling her bra out of the side of her shirt.

I stripped down to my boxers and climbed in bed beside her clicking off the lamp.

"Promise that every day will be as good as today," she whispered snuggling into my arms.

"I wish I could Roza," I told her stealing one last kiss thinking of the envelope that was burning a hole in my pocket.

**Okay! Here's the deal. My 1700****th**** reviewer gets a sneak peek at the next chapter which I must say is a doozy! Please review and in the words of Kesha… This Place About to Blow!**


	38. Chapter 38: Your Sister? My Sister?

**Chaper 38: My Sister? Your Sister?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

**Shout out to my 1700****th**** reviewer XxLittleMissAuthorxX I hope you enjoyed your sneak peak! Thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and encouraging me. I have a three day weekend this week so hopefully that will mean a quick update=)**

ADRIANPOV

"Babe, I know it's been a really good few days, but it's time to go back to reality," my wife told me as she packed up her stuff from our illegal hotel room. I groaned stretching out lazily on the bed.

"Are you going to go now?" I asked. She nodded.

"I want to get a head start. It's a long drive and I'll probably stop to rest for a few hours."

"You could always fly," I told her.

"I know, but the drive was beautiful. It's too bad you can't come with me."

"Yea, well stupid school rules and all." There was nothing more I hated than to leave her to drive alone, but I couldn't help it unless I wanted my cover blown.

"See you at home," she said kissing me tenderly.

"That I will," I told her. "Be careful."

After a nice long soak in the tub, I decided it was time to get back to my other room and pack up the few odds and ends I'd left in there for show.

As I went to grab my things my bag hit the desk and one of Christian's books fell to the floor. I reached down to pick it up realizing that something had fallen out of it. I picked up the item realizing it was a photograph.

My fists clenched and my teeth gritted as tears pricked my eyes and I began to shake. There in the photo that had fallen from his book was a picture of my sister Rosemarie. She looked exactly as she had the last time I'd seen her only thinner and dirtier. She was even wearing the same dress clutching her favorite stuffed rabbit. What the hell was a photo of her doing in Christian's book?

"Hey man, are you ready to go?" Christian asked exiting the bathroom. I turned to him with fury coursing through my veins.

"What the hell are you doing with a picture of my sister! Where is she?" I roared thrusting it at him. It took everything I had not to throw him to the ground and throttle him to death before he gave me an explanation. He seemed surprised by my outburst, but not threatened.

"What the hell are you talking about? That's Rose," he said giving me a funny look.

My jaw dropped and I fell to my knees clutching the photo in my hands. It couldn't be. Had she really been right in front of my eyes for the past six months? My wife had been right all along. How stupid had I been? Rose, my best friend was the one I'd been searching for all these years. My sister was alive and she was happy and I knew her. Tears poured from my eyes as I cradled the photo in my hands.

"Thank you!" I sobbed to no one in particular as I stayed there kneeling on the floor unable to move.

"What's the matter with him?" I heard Belikov ask as he entered the room.

"I don't know. He found an old picture of Rose in my book and started freaking out demanding to know why I had a picture of his sister. Then he started sobbing hysterically," Christian said with a shrug.

"Did you know?" I croaked my voice hoarse. He remained quiet with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Did you know?" I menaced jumping to my feet and grabbing him by the shirt.

"I suspected, but I wanted to make sure. I have the DNA results right here," he relented holding out an envelope.

I snatched the paper out of his hands. "You didn't open it?" I asked.

He sighed. "No, I was waiting until we got home. I didn't want to cause a scene on a school trip." His words made sense, but I had waited long enough for this moment so I ripped open the envelope with vigor.

There was a bunch of scientific charting and bullshit at the beginning, but the last line was the only one that mattered. It read:

**There is a ninety-nine percent certainty that the candidate is biologically related to Adrian Mazur. **

I dropped the letter watching in slow motion as it fell to the ground.

"She's my sister," I gasped. "It's really her." I'd been waiting for this for so long that now that I knew, my body was going into shock.

"Shhh, keep your voice down," Belikov growled closing the door to the room.

"What the fuck is going on?" Christian asked. He had been watching our exchange curiously.

"Who's your sister and what does any of this have to do with my sister?"

"Your sister?" I hissed jealousy raging through my body. "She isn't your sister. She's my sister!"

"Dude you're on crack. What the hell is your problem? Is he having some sort of mental breakdown?" he asked directing his question at Dimitri.

"Christian it's a long story and we don't have time to get into it right now. All I can ask is that you keep the events of this morning to yourself until we can properly discuss them," he requested.

"I don't think so. I want to know what's going on. Stuff doesn't fit. I've been researching our past and something isn't right. Something is different about Rose. I can tell. What is it? What am I not getting?" he begged.

I looked at Dimitri. "Well if you don't tell him I sure as hell will." I was done playing around here.

"Okay okay, but like I said. You need to keep this to yourself," he restated.

"I'll agree to that for now," Christian replied.

"Short version, Adrian's sister Rosemarie was kidnapped and hustled out of the country by her mother at age six. Your mother didn't give birth to Rose. Her birth certificate was faked three months ago. Your parent's found her or acquired her somehow at age six. I don't know how or why or what circumstances lead her to your family and I'm not placing any blame, but Rosalie Ozera and Rosemarie Mazur are the same person. I have a DNA test to prove it."

"What are you a cop?" Christian accused backing away.

"Who the fuck are you people? You're not really a high school student are you?" he guessed.

We both shook our heads in negation. Mine was still spinning from the truth of the matter.

"I am a private detective hired by Rose's father to find her and bring her home." I could tell that his admission did nothing to soothe Christian's frayed nerves.

"I need some air," he said opening the window to the balcony and closing the door behind him.

"What's the plan?" I asked still a little in shock.

"Call your father, I guess."

"No, not until we get back," I rushed out. He gave me a look.

"I thought you'd jump at the chance to tell him about Rose," he replied.

"I don't want her to get hurt," I told him honestly.

"I want to know what happened before I tell my father anything and he goes off half cocked. Plus you know she's going to have a breakdown when she finds out we've all been lying to her especially her parents and you," I mused.

He sighed rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. "I know."

I almost felt bad for the guy. He was so in love with her and when we told her the truth, she was going to fall apart. As much as I wanted to be reunited with her, part of me thought that maybe it was better if she never knew. She seemed happy. Her family was nice and I could still be a part of her life. That would never work though. My dad deserved to know the truth, just not yet, not until we had all the facts.

"Do you think he's going to be okay? Do you think he'll say anything?" I asked watching Christian sit on the balcony. He looked like he was having some sort of conversation with himself. He kept slamming his fist into the wooden frame of the balcony and I could hear him cursing.

"I don't know. Let's hope so for her sake," he said looking nervous.

A few minutes later he came back inside. I ducked just in time as he belted Belikov in the back with a metal rod from the balcony. He went down like a ton of bricks growling in pain.

"You ass! How the fuck old are you? You've been playing her this whole time, lying to her to get close just so you could rip our family apart!" he shouted taking another swing. This time Belikov was ready for him and grabbed onto the rod yanking it easily from his hands.

"Christian stop," he requested sputtering. I could see he was injured.

"Let's just calm down here," I said trying to get a handle on the situation.

"Calm down! Calm down. You are here to ruin my family! Why should I be calm? Why shouldn't I call my parents right now and tell them what's going on. I'm sure they'd like to know that you're some pedophile that's been no doubtedly statutory raping my sister. And you," he said pointing to me.

"You're just a drunk who likes to provide her with alcohol. I'll tell the cops everything," he menaced.

"If you do you'll hurt her even more," Belikov told him standing upright.

"More than you two already have?" he asked. "At least I haven't lied to her."

"While that is true, I believe it best to keep the police out of this for now in order to keep your parents out of jail if you're at all interested in doing that."

"What do you mean jail?

"Well for starters there's kidnapping, forgery, arson. Need I go on?" Wow he really was a pro at this.

"They're not like that. Whatever happened, they didn't take her. I'm sure of it," he insisted.

"I am inclined to agree with you, but Rose's father, her real father isn't the type of man you want to anger. Until we have the truth about what happened, we have to keep this quiet. You telling your parents is only going to make them act more suspiciously or possibly make a move to leave town. We can't have that."  
>"What are you going to do? Are you just going to take her away and we'll never see her again?" Christian asked in defeat.<p>

"Technically we can't make her do anything. She's eighteen. She is free to make her own choices. Depending on what went down twelve years ago, she will be able to do what she wants.

"I don't want to take her away from you. I know what It's like to lose her," I said tearing up again.

"How are you going to tell her?" he asked sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I have no idea," I replied. "I've been waiting to see my sister again for twelve years and yet I'm totally unprepared for what I would say. She doesn't even recognize me," I said sadly.

"Can you shed some light on that?" Dimitri asked directing his question at Christian.

"How would I know? My whole life has been a lie!" he spat angrily and rightly so.

"Well what are your first memories of her?"

He sucked in a breath of air pondering the question for a few seconds.

"She used to throw hysterical fits when she was around six years old. She's scream for someone named Anne and wake up terrified in the middle of the night for no reason. She fought my mother at just about every turn and then one day it was like she woke up and didn't know that anything had ever been wrong. She was just calm. I don't know what happened. I don't remember much myself from back is Anne?" he asked looking thoughtful.

"Anne is the pet word for Mother in Turkish," I replied trying hard to keep my emotions in check. I couldn't help but feel sick at the thought of her screaming for Janine. I'll bet Oksana Ozera was ten times the mother Janine had been. It was no secret I hated the woman.

"She also screeched Abi Addie in her sleep until she was twelve," he said.

"She did?" I asked raising my eyes to meet his.

"Yea, what does that mean?"

"It means older brother and then my name. She called me Addie," I whispered still mesmerized by the photo of her. I couldn't believe that she missed me.

"So what's the plan? The bus leaves in twenty minutes."

"We do nothing until we find out what happened," Belikov ordered.

"Are you in?" he asked looking at Christian.

He gulped, but nodded.

"Good, then your job is to find out how your parent's brought Rose home. Search through everything."

"I will check orphanage records for around that time and Adrian, just try to act normal, well normal for you anyways. If we want Rose to have even a shot at coming out of this in one piece, we have to work together."

"For the record, I didn't know that the girl I was sent here to look for was Rose until she had the allergic reaction," Belikov told Christian, who snorted.

"I'm not using her. I'm in love with her."

"You're still too old for her. What are you thirty?" he scoffed.

Belikov sighed. "Twenty-four," he admitted and I winced as Christian clenched his fists in anger.

"You're sick you know that," he growled. "I have half a mind to have them lock you up. If you're her brother how can you stand by and watch this asshat grope her? She deserves better than that."

"He really does love her. I want her to be happy and right now she is. It's too bad that it won't last," I said with a sigh. Who was I to keep the two of them apart? In fact, I was the one who had encouraged their relationship. I recognized something in them that I'd seen only once before. He looked at her the way I looked at Avery.

We all agreed to keep the peace for now and meet up later at home. As we walked solemnly to the bus, I tucked the photo into my wallet for safekeeping.

"Hey guys what took you so long?" Rose asked greeting us with a big smile. I couldn't help but notice now the similarities she shared with me and with my father. She had his eyes and his hair and the way she smiled reminded me so much of when she was a little girl. I must have been blind not to see it before.

"Are you okay?" she asked me. "You look sick."

"I'm just fine Little Cupcake," I told her hugging her tightly. She hugged me back and for the first time in twelve years I felt whole. She was the missing piece of the puzzle and I was determined to keep her in my life.

"Sit with me Comrade?" she asked.

"Of course Milaya," he said putting his hand on the small of her back as he led her to the bus. I could only imagine how hard this must be for him. I mean hell it was hard for me to be sitting here so close to her and not tell her the truth, but I wasn't the one who was lying to her. She would forgive me, I was sure of it, but I had serious doubts as to whether she'd ever be able to get over Belikov's betrayal.

It made me feel a little bad for the guy. I watched as she snuggled close to him a content smile plastered across her face. Christian just glared from his seat with his jaw clenched gripping the armrests until his knuckles turned white. I felt bad for him too. He was innocent in all of this and would have to deal with the fallout of his seemingly perfect family. I knew how that felt and I didn't wish it on my worst enemy. I leaned my head back against the seat trying to calm myself after the events of the morning. The next few days were going to be one hell of a bumpy ride.

ABE POV

"Yes, ready the jet. I want to be in Portland Oregon by tomorrow evening," I told my pilot. It was high time I went out there to see things for myself. I had a distinct feeling that I wasn't getting the whole story from Detective Belikov or from my son and his lovely wife.

**So what did you think of Adrian's Reaction? Uh oh Abe is on his way to Portland, you know what that means don't you? **

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	39. Chapter 39: I Would Know You Anywhere

**Chapter 39: I Would Know You Anywhere**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

RPOV

"You look different," my mother commented. She pulled me into a giant bear hug as we walked through the door to the house. It had been a long bus ride and although I'd enjoyed my time with Dimitri, I felt that something with him was off. He had seemed normal enough until about ten minutes before we pulled up in front of the school. He had tensed up and held onto me like I was his life raft while he was treading water in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It's like he was memorizing what it was like to hold me, smell me and kiss me, like if he let me go I'd disappear. My father had to practically drag me away from him with the threat that I wouldn't be able to see him for the rest of Spring break. He'd finally let go whispering how much he loved me.

I took it as a good sign that he didn't want to be separated from me. Some guys get all weird after sex or so I've heard. I smiled thinking about last night. We hadn't made love again, I was still too sore and he was very understanding, but he definitely knew how to please a woman several other ways. I nearly blushed thinking about our late night activities in front of my mother and brother.

Come to think of it, Christian had been acting funny as well. He kept giving me strange looks and when I'd catch him staring at me, he'd quickly pretend to be engrossed in a book. He was also shooting death glares at Dimitri and Adrian. I wondered if he somehow knew that Dimitri and I had been together physically.

Adrian was actually acting pretty normal. He seemed happy. I think spending some time with Avery alone had done wonders for him. He couldn't stop smiling. He'd chattered on and on all the way home about how he'd had so much fun and it was the best vacation he'd ever taken and how much he enjoyed all my birthday hoopla. Which reminded me,I had to get some thank you cards for the gang for setting up that breakfast and for the gifts. Lissa had gone overboard and bought me a ton of clothes and Disney souvenirs, Mason and Eddie had chipped in for a gift card to my favorite restaurant. Mia, Jill and Sydney bought me a really neat book series called Vampire Academy. I was excited to start on it. I absolutely love stories about Vampires. Dimitri had surprised me with very pretty earrings in the shape of roses. He said his mother had shipped them all the way from Russia. Aren't they sweet? I can't wait until he can take me to Russia with him to see his hometown someday. Christian gave me my usual birthday noogie and an I-tunes gift card. Adrian said he had big plans for my present and I'd get it soon. I was kind of excited to see what it was.

"I do not look different," I said wincing as she squeezed me tighter. "I'm only four days older than the last time you saw me."

"I know, but you're an adult now," she said sadly. I couldn't read the look on Christian's face, but it looked like he was studying my mother and her behavior. Whatever, he was being weird and I didn't have time to think about it. My mother had called while we were gone and said that a friend of hers had a part-time job opening at her bakery and coffee shop and now that I could drive, I was able to apply. I mean it was probably just a formality since she and my mom were good friends, but I really wanted it. I'd only be there on Saturday and Sunday mornings and then work more in the summer, but it was a start. I had a quick interview with her this morning and I wanted to shower and change so I looked presentable and didn't smell like bus.

"Did you have a good time? How was your birthday? I'm so sad I missed it," she said wiping away another tear.

"Geez Mom, get a life," Christian snapped.

She reeled back like she'd been slapped. Christian never spoke to her that way. I had been known to be snappy and Tasha was sure as hell a spitfire, but this was entirely out of character for my brother.

"Christian," I warned. "That wasn't nice. Apolagize!" I hissed.

"Sorry, it's just it was only a birthday and I'm tired from being on the bus. I really am sorry, mom," he said with sincerity.

"We've all had a long week, why don't you go upstairs, unpack and take a nap," she said giving him a quick hug to show she wasn't mad.

My interview at the bakery went just fine and Mrs. Voda, the woman I was going to be working for said I could come back tomorrow morning and Friday for training. I was really excited. I couldn't wait to tell Dimitri. I pulled out my phone and sent him a text skipping all the way back to the car with a smile on my face. For the first time in my life, things were all coming together.

DPOV

I walked into my room at the Dragomirs and turned on my desk lamp. In an instant, I knew that I wasn't alone.I turned towards the windows and took a fighting stance.

"Identify yourself," I barked in Russian drawing my swiss army knife from my belt.

I didn't know whether to be relieved or on edge as Abe Mazur stepped out of the shadows.

"Very well done. It's always best to be on full alert," he said.

"I thought you were coming at the end of the week," I asked completely thrown off guard as I stood facing him.

"As you know, I am full of surprises," he said.

"Now, the last batch of envelopes I received were useless as well. I assume you are working other angles or have been searching out new suspects," he said never breaking eye contact.

"Yes, sir, I have been checking student files for allergens, blood types and have made calls to some of my contacts who are in the business of forging important documents."

"Any results?"

"I have a few theories and I am waiting to see if I'm on the right track. I should know something soon," I lied smoothly.

"Well then, I would like to see your work and then head over to see my son," he said seeming to buy my lies easily. I wondered if he actually bought them or if he was testing me.

I allowed him to look at all of my notes, documentations, research and other computer files. He didn't comment as he rifled through the information carefully. Luckily all of the research I'd done on Rose I'd saved on a flash drive that was currently in the front pocket of my jeans. It was safe for now, but I didn't know how much longer I could hold him off. Telling him now would probably be the best course of action for me, my job and the client, but it wouldn't be best for Rose. I still needed to find out how she came to be with the Ozera's. Hopefully Christian was finding out pertinent information as I spoke.

"These were all good leads and theories. I like the way your mind works," he complimented as he looked through photos and write ups of each and every girl I'd investigated.

"Is there anything I can get you while you are here?" I asked trying to remember my manners.

"No, I am eager to see my son though. It has been too long. I want to see how he's doing and catch up. How about we meet up tomorrow around one at Voda's," he said rattling off the name of a small coffee shop on the main road in town.

"I trust that you will have spoken with your contacts by then," he said in a tone that caused my blood to run cold. If I wasn't mistaken, there was an underlying threat.

"Yes sir," I told him eager to get him out of here before the Dragomirs came home. He was anything but inconspicuous with his long hair, dark glasses, flashy scarves and jewelry. He was the only man I knew who could pull of such flashy colors and still maintain a high level of intimidation.

I sighed in relief as he climbed into a town car escorted by two of his private guards that I recognized from his house in Istanbul. I shook my head as my phone beeped with a text from Rose.

_**~I miss you Comrade **_

_**~I miss you too Roza**_

I typed back a response. I wished I had the time to go over and see her, but I needed to get on Christian's tail first. I dialed his number and waited impatiently for him to pick up.

CPOV

I sighed as my phone began buzzing. It was Belikov calling. I ignored it for the moment as I was digging through the boxes in the attic again. There didn't seem to be anything I hadn't seen the first time. I sighed in frustration and threw the box that I'd been looking at to the other side of the small room. As it hit the wall a box fell off a shelf and spilled its contents onto the floor. I picked up the box and noticed that it contained two or three books and an old newspaper clipping.

The headline of the newspaper dated March 24, 2000 stated that a woman named Jocelyn James had been killed in a car crash on the Astoria bridge the night before. It also said foul play was suspected and it may have been a car bomb.

"Who the hell was Jocelyn James?" I wondered out loud. March twenty-fourth would have been the day after Rose's sixth birthday. I decided to open one of the books and found that they weren't novels, but journals written in my mother's delicate script.

I opened it to the middle and began to read.

June 29th 2000

~_Today was a tough one. Rose still has not adjusted well to the move. She wakes with nightmares nearly every night, she fights me for baths and when I try to comfort her or hold her she screams for Anne. I feel helpless. She is in pain and there's nothing I can do. It breaks my heart that she hasn't warmed up to me yet, but she's too old to just forget her own mother. I can only hope that things will get better from here. The move has been tough on all of us, Tasha especially. I know she is excited to have a new sister, but she's old enough to understand that we are in danger. _

Holy shit! It's true. Rose isn't my biological sister. I flipped back to see what was written on March 24th as I assumed it was that day or shortly before that Rose appeared in our lives.

March 24th 2000

~_My prayers to have another child have been answered, although not in the way I thought they would be. Last night while doing some last minute shopping with the kids, we were approached by a strange woman. She spoke with a thick accent and had wild eyes and tousled red hair. She was jumpy and seemed paranoid. She said she was being pursued by people who wanted to harm her. She didn't give us her name, but begged me to keep her daughter safe. At first I didn't know what to do, but when she ran off leaving behind her beautiful six year old with a tattered dress and stuffed rabbit, my heart melted at the sight of her. When I looked into those beautiful chocolate brown eyes, I knew that I couldn't just leave her there. I was on my way to the police station with her when I saw that there had been a car crash on the bridge. To my horror it was the woman from the mall. A car bomb was suspected and I feared that when she'd told me she was running from her husband, who was a mafia leader, that she hadn't been lying. I rushed home to Mark and we both decided that we would not allow anyone to hurt this precious little girl and that we would raise her as our own. I have no idea if things are going to work out or what the future will bring, but I thank God for bringing this little girl into our lives when I had lost all hope after I lost our baby. She's my second chance and I won't give her up. _

I closed the book and leaned my head back against the wall. Flashbacks of that day at the mall began to filter through my head. I massaged my temples with my fingers as my head throbbed. I remembered it clear as day, the day we met our sister. The woman had been entirely jittery and kept glancing behind her and then she just ran off. How had I forgotten all about that day? One thing was for sure, Tasha hadn't. All those times she'd accused Rose of being dropped on our doorstep. Who knew she was telling the truth?

Holy Hell! Did that mean Belikov was working for the mafia? I had to warn Rose. She had to stay away from him. I knew it! I knew he was no good. I can't believe he went as far as to become her boyfriend all to trick her. It was all my fault. I should have hit him harder with that stupid pipe. If only I hadn't had that stupid photo in my book, then they wouldn't have had conclusive proof, well except for the DNA results. She could be in real danger and my parents in deep shit. I grabbed the journal stuffing it into my back pocket before rushing down the ladder with the newspaper article clenched in my hands.

"Woah, Christian where's the fire?" my dad asked as I flew by him in the hallway.

"I need to talk to Rose," I said busting open her door. It was empty.

"She's not here. She got a part time job over at Voda's. She's training today. You just missed her," he said.

"Shit!" I cried out in frustration.

"What's the matter? Why are you so anxious to see her?" he asked kindly overlooking my poor choice of words.

I gulped. Should I tell him? If I didn't and something happened to Rose, it would be all my fault, but if I did and I turned out to be wrong, oh screw it! They were my parents and they'd taken care of us our whole lives. It was them I could trust with Rose's life, not some Russian spy and a guy whose father was head of the Turkish mafia.

"Son, you're scaring me," my father said snapping me back to reality. I must look a sight. I'd stopped, paralyzed not knowing what to do.

"Get Mom," I croaked tugging at the collar on my shirt. It was beginning to get warm in here.

"Okay, I will. Do you want to sit down?" he asked putting his hand on my shoulder.

I nodded allowing him to lead me down the stairs into the living room.

"Oksana, can you come in here for a minute?" he called probably too afraid to leave me alone.

"What is it?" she asked walking in with a dishtowel in her hands.

"Christian what's wrong? Are you sick? Are you having an episode?" she asked rushing to my side.

"Why is he so pale?" she asked my dad.

He shook his head. "I don't know. Can you tell us what's bothering you?" he asked.

I didn't exactly know what to say. At this point I was so nervous for Rose's safety that I didn't care how it came out.

"They're here. They've found out and he's coming," I managed between gasps.

"Who's here?" my mother asked exchanging a worried look with my dad.

"Rose's father hired a private investigator to find her and he has DNA evidence," I told them.

My mother's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? I am Rose's father," dad said trying to cover.

"Stop lying!" I shouted jumping off the couch. "I know everything," I said thrusting the diary at them and the newspaper clipping. "They've come for her. Do something!"

"Who are they?" my father asked finally getting that this wasn't a joke.

"Belikov is the private investigator and Adrian Ivashkov is really Adrian Mazur, Rose's brother."

"Call Tasha, warn her it isn't safe," my father ordered my mother. She got up and immediately began dialing the phone.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"We have to leave. Pack a bag for you and for Rose. We're leaving in ten minutes," he said rushing for the stairs.

"You're not going to burn the house down again are you?" I asked.

"What? How did you? Nevermind," he said continuing up the stairs.

ABEPOV

I glanced at my watch. It was nearly one o'clock. My son and Belikov were meeting me here at Voda's. It seemed like it was a quiet shop and a good place to have this meeting.

I sat at one of the tables noticing that since it was mid afternoon, it was nearly empty. My guards waited outside in the car. I was safe here in this part of the world, where no one knew who I was. My business was not usually dangerous, but one could never be too careful.

"Mr. Mazur," Belikov greeted me as he and my son entered together. That in itself sent up a red flag. Last I heard Adrian couldn't stand Belikov and now they were buddy buddy. That didn't fit. My son had been very unforthcoming yesterday almost as if he had wanted me to leave. Avery had opted to stay in the bedroom and sleep claiming she was tired from the trip. I would have loved to see what she knew. They were hiding something and I was going to find out what it was.

"Sit," I commanded.

"Tell me what you've found." They looked at each other before my son opened his mouth.

"Okay we have something to tell you, but before we do, you have to promise to maintain your cool and not go off half cocked," he said giving me a pleading look.

My heart fell, they were going to tell me that my daughter was dead, I just knew it. They hadn't wanted to tell me over the phone and now they were about to drop the bomb. I figured that Adrian would have taken the news poorly though. He didn't seem sad or depressed in fact he almost looked happy. Could that mean there was good news? With my rotten luck, I hightly doubted it. I nodded my head waiting patiently for them to rip my heart out of my chest.

"We've found Rosemarie," Belikov started. I waited for him to say the words dead or body, but it didn't come.

"She's alive?" I asked incredulously.

He took a deep breath before nodding. My heart rejoiced at the good news, but it was short lived. If she was alive, why didn't they bring her to me? Was something wrong? Maybe she was ill or living in terrible squalor.

"Well where is she? What kind of proof do you have?" I asked a little agitated at whatever game they were playing.

"We have conclusive DNA evidence that she is related to Adrian," he said sliding a piece of paper across the table.

"We also found this," Adrian pulling something out of his wallet. I looked at the DNA test and then at the other which was a photo.

I inhaled sharply at the picture of my beautiful baby girl. I could tell that the photo had been taken months after she was stolen from me because her front tooth had begun to grow in. She was dirty and emaciated. What the hell had Janine done to her?

"Where is she right now?" I asked.

"Well that's the thing," Belikov started. Before he could finish we were interrupted by bell on the door.

Adrian and Belikov both paled as a young girl entered.

"Hey Adrian, Dimitri," she called out waving excitedly. She seemed to know them. She was the spitting image of what I imagined my Rosemarie would look like at this age with long wavy black hair and chocolate brown eyes. My heart ached for my daughter so badly at this moment that in looking at her I was nearly convinced that she was actually my daughter.

"What are you doing here Little Cupcake?" Adrian asked sounding nervous. Belikov looked like he might be ill as she leaned over to kiss him on the lips. Apparently he was dating her. Good for him, she was quite a lovely girl.

"It's my first day of training. I just got a job here," she said her eyes looking from one to the other before falling on me. She looked at me closely, blinked her eyes and looked at me again. Her purse and the apron she was carrying in her hand fell to the floor as she continued to gape at me. My son and Belikov trained their eyes on her not moving a muscle.

Suddenly a look of recognition and then confusion flashed across her face.

Babai? Neden beni terk? Ne oluyor? Neden? YAPTIĞIMI anlamıyorum. MUTLUYUM şaşırttı**. (Daddy is that you? Why did you leave me? What's going on? Why? I don't understand. I'm so confused.)**

She cried out in Turkish, tears springing from her eyes. I would know that voice and that face anywhere, I thought jumping to my feet. My daughter was here. She was alive and standing before me and my God was she beautiful.

Rosemarie, kızım. Çok üzgünüm. Lütfen aşkım korkmayın. Beni küçük kız gel. Seni seviyorum. **(Rosemarie, my daughter. I am so sorry. Please my love do not be afraid. Come to me little girl. I love you.)**

She did as she was told throwing herself into my outstretched arms sobbing as she cuddled her face into the crook of my neck like she had the last time I'd seen her. "Seni seviyorum Baba," **( I love you Daddy.)**she murmured.  
>"Benim güzel tatlı kız. Nihayet ana nerede aitseniz,"<strong> (My beautiful, sweet girl. You are finally home where you belong.)<strong> I told her stroking her hair softly. I had never thought that I would see her again and here she was in my arms. I was never letting her go again.

"Step away from her right now and I will allow you to continue breathing," a man menaced approaching our table. A woman stood behind him looking terrified. Behind her was a young man around Rosemarie's age. The woman positioned herself in front of him for protection.

"I am not going to tell you again. Step away from my daughter!" he bellowed.

**Uh oh! Next chapter will be the showdown! Will the Russian cowboy come to the rescue? Also what are your thoughts on me ending this story after the big reveal and then doing a mini-sequel on Rose's adjustment to her new life and showing how she handles things. It would be mainly RPOV and would be titled "Being Rosemarie Mazur" Leave me your thoughts on this chapter and about the sequel. **


	40. Chapter 40: Showdown

**Chapter 40: Showdown**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Okay I know everyone is on pins and needles so here it is. I worked on it all morning just for you. Also some of you wondered why she automatically knew Turkish. Her mind snapped back to when she was six and if you've ever met an intelligent six year old, they have quite a vocabulary at least here in the US. Also, the sequel, if I do it won't start until after things are somewhat resolved in this story. It would be about what happens next, following her through her adjustments and depending on where she chooses to live and with whom, how she integrates everyone into her life. It will be a lot of emotional turmoil and ups and downs for Rose. Also there are still those three months that are unaccounted for. What happened to her with Janine? **

RPOV

I skipped all the way from the parking garage to the coffee shop. I couldn't believe my good luck. This job was going to be fantastic and it was one I could keep through the summer and continue while I was going to community college next year. I was a little sad though that by that time, Dimitri would be back in Russia. I really wanted him to stay, but I hadn't had the courage yet to ask him if it was a possibility.

I pushed open the door and to my excitement saw Dimitri and Adrian sitting at a table in the corner. They must have heard it was my first day and come to see me. While I found it odd that they were here together, I was so happy to see them that in my haste to greet them, I didn't notice that they were not alone.

I turned to look at the man they were with and as I did, the floodgates of my mind opened and every memory from before age six came spilling out. Confusion ripped through me as I realized something wasn't right here. The man standing before me was my father, Ibrahim Mazur. I remembered and oh how I wished I didn't. My brain was crowded with memories of birthdays, Christmases, playing school with my brother, and my mother, who was a crazy loon leaving me outside in the cold. Before I knew what I was saying and what language I was speaking, my father had me in his arms and I was sobbing like a little girl. I inhaled the familiar scent of my Baba clutching onto him for dear life. I realized for the first time that I had been speaking and understanding Turkish. I was born in Turkey. I was not Rosalie Ozera. I was Rosemarie Mazur.

Our reunion was short lived as my father or other father interrupted us.

"Step away from her right now and I will allow you to continue breathing," he growled. I pulled my head off of Baba's neck long enough to see my family standing near the entrance of the shop. Wait, my family? What were they doing here? Were they my family? No, I was pretty sure they weren't. Why did they pretend to be? My brain was assaulted with images of my past both in Istanbul and then here in Astoria. It all seemed so real and my brain went into overload feeling like it was going to explode. I had no idea which life was my real life, everything was so cluttered. I tried desperately to get a grip on reality and distinguish one life from the other.

"I am not going to tell you again. Step away from my daughter!" he bellowed. I shuddered at the tone in his voice. I'd never heard him like that before.

"She isn't your daughter. I believe you are aware of that," Baba responded in a calm, even tone. He was never one to blow a gasket in public. I rubbed my temples as I listened to them argue.

"Rosie come here," my dad commanded holding out his hand. I looked at him and then back at Baba. My head was spinning. They were my family and they looked at me with pleading eyes. My mother was holding Christian back as he looked as though he was spoiling for a fight. There was both terror and fury in his eyes. I looked to where Adrian and Dimitri stood looking worried. Wait, why were they here? How did they know Abe?

I looked into Adrian's green eyes and realized that I'd been looking into the eyes of my Abi Addie the entire time. I flashed back to the first time I met him. The familiarity of his eyes, the smell of his clove cigarettes, it was all coming back to me. It was no wonder I felt so connected to him. He had been my life support as a child.

"Abi Addie?" I questioned. His face lit up with the beautiful smile I recognized.

"Evet, küçük kız kardeşi. Benim. Korkmayın. Size zarar vermek değildir," (Yes, little sister. It's me. Don't be afraid. We are not here to hurt you.)

I wanted to hug him, but was again interrupted as my mother began to sob. "Rose please do as your father says and come with us," she pleaded. My heart constricted at the natural reaction to go to the woman who had taken care of me all these years was winning out.

"With all due respect, she is my daughter and if she does not want to go with you that is her choice," Baba interjected.

"Bu size küçük bir kız," ( It's up to you little girl.) he said stroking my cheek softly.

"Don't touch her!" my dad shouted rushing forward so I was positioned right between the two of them.  
>"Mark, be careful," my mother begged doing her best to hold Christian in place.<p>

"Let me go," Christian cried struggling against my mother's firm grip on him. Lucky for her he was a weakling.

"Rosie, it's us, your family. You know that we would never hurt you. We need you to trust us," my father begged looking into my eyes. He was right, I'd always been able to count on them and trust them, but as I looked into his eyes something made me shy away.

"You have blue eyes," I said eying him and then the rest of my family.

"Come with me," he repeated holding out his hand.

"Rose you don't have to," Adrian said also holding out his hand.

"I can't this is too much, I'm so confused," I cried clutching my head which had begun to throb. I looked back and forth between my two families, the ones that were my blood and whom I loved dearly and the ones who had taken me in and raised me as their own whom I also loved.

I was breathing heavy now and black spots were beginning to form blurring my vision. The stress of the matter was taking its toll and I didn't feel that I could remain upright much longer.

"Rose," my father said reaching out for me again.

"No! Don't touch me," I shrieked as the reality of the situation came crashing down. My entire life had been a lie. Nothing about me was real, not my name, my birthday, my childhood.

"You lied to me my whole life! Why? Why did you keep me from my family?" I sobbed.

"We are your family," Christian cried looking at me with betrayal.

"No you're not!" I screeched falling to my knees.

"Roza," Dimitri's strong arms were around me in two seconds flat whispering words of comfort.

"Can't you see you're hurting her?" he growled angrily.

"He is right," Adrian agreed crouching down in front of me.

"Are you okay Little Cupcake?" he asked. I couldn't stop sobbing long enough to answer him. No I sure as hell wasn't okay!

"This is a lot to take in right now. Why don't we take this somewhere more private," he suggested.

"She's not going anywhere with you," my father insisted.

"Get your hands off of her you pedophile," he directed at Dimitri.

"You're almost worse than they are," he said pointing to Baba and Adrian.

"What is he talking about?" I asked looking up into Dimitri's worried eyes.

"Shh, now is not the time Milaya," he whispered taking me into his arms supporting me as I stood. I leaned into him for comfort.

"Let her go now!" my father menaced. What was his sudden problem with Dimitri? I felt safe in his arms. "You know he's a spy don't you Rose? He's been looking for you and lying to you all this time. He's not who you think he is. He's not even a high school student. He's twenty-four."

My breath caught in my throat as I looked at Dimitri begging for him to deny it and say my father was crazy and paranoid.

"Tell me it isn't true," I pleaded.

"Roza, I'm sorry," he started.

"Oh my God!" I cried realizing that I'd been lied to yet again. I slept with him. I gave him my virginity and all without knowing who he was. He'd just been using me until he could prove that I was Abe's daughter. He didn't really love me. How could I have been so stupid as to trust him after all of those other girls he was with?"

I gulped. "The other girls. You were investigating them?" I choked out. He nodded sadly.

"Roza please, you have to understand. I…,"

"No," I told him pulling roughly out of his grasp.

"Save your explanations. My whole life has been a lie, so why not add a fake boyfriend too," I cried shoving him away from me.

"Look, everyone needs to calm down so we can talk this out rationally," he said.

"The hell we will. These people stole my daughter and kept her from me," Baba accused pointing his finger at my mother and father.

"We didn't steal her," my mother cried. "She gave her to us."

"Whatever happened, you kept her from me. Give me one good reason I shouldn't have you arrested for kidnapping?" he said raising his voice for the first time.

"Stop! just everyone stop arguing! It's my life and I make the decisions for me and right now I just, I can't deal with this," I cried taking off in the direction of the kitchen that would lead me to where I parked my car. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me not stopping at the shouts and cries of my family.

I got behind the wheel of my car realizing too late that my keys were in my purse which I'd left behind.

Screw it! I thought getting out of the car and running as fast as I could. I had no idea where I was going, just that I was suffocating and needed to get away.

DPOV

The way she looked at me as I admitted my guilt, with such betrayal in her eyes was exactly what I'd feared since the day I confessed my feelings for her. I would give anything to shield her from the pain she was going through right now. I watched helplessly as she ran for the door. I made a moved to chase after her, but Adrian stopped me.

"She needs time to process," he said and so here I stood watching the rest of them argue in her absence.

"Baba, calm down," Adrian said putting his hand on Abe's shoulder.

"Think of what that would do to Rose," he said referring to incarcerating the Ozera's.

"Is everything okay here?" Mrs. Voda asked looking at us wide eyed from behind the counter. She had been watching the scene unfold and was quite frightened.

"Yes, everything is alright," I said stepping forward.

"Rose is just a little upset about a family matter. I hope you won't hold it against her and allow her to return to work when she is ready," I said trying to save face for her.

"Of course," she agreed before returning to her cleaning.

"Why don't we all go back to my father's hotel. That is neutral ground," Adrian suggested.

"Why so you can bump us off?" Christian cried. "No way am I going to some mobster's hotel."

"Mobster?" I questioned looking back and forth between the Ozera's and the Mazur's.

"You think Abe is a mobster?" I asked.

"That is what Rose's mother told me when she left you with us," Oksana said softly tears in her eyes.

"You knew Janine?" Abe asked his voice losing its harsh tone as he spoke of Rose's real mother.

"That is how we met Rose," she said smiling a sad smile.

"He's not in the mafia," I told them at least I was pretty sure of that.

"Right?" I questioned looking to Adrian and then Abe. 

"What? Don't be ridiculous. My business is completely legit," he said rolling his eyes.

"I have been known to be ruthless and back stabbing yes, but accusing me of being involved in organized crime is a serious accusation," he replied.

"But your wife," Oksana started.

"My wife was a very sick woman. She had been diagnosed with several mental health disorders prior to her taking Rosemarie," he said with a sigh.

"It doesn't surprise me that she would say that. It wasn't the first time she'd suffered from paranoid delusions," he said shaking his head.

"Please accompany us to the hotel for Rosemarie's sake." He seemed to have calmed down and was thinking more clearly.

"Shouldn't someone go after Rose?" I asked worried about her as I glanced at the door she'd scurried thorough.

"Yes, that would be a good idea," he agreed.

"I'll go," Christian volunteered.

"I'm the only one who hasn't been lying to her face all this time," he snorted glaring at his parents and then at the rest of us.

"Good idea. She left her purse, I doubt she got too far," Adrian said picking up her purse which indeed contained her car keys.

"Here is where I am staying, bring her by when you find her," Abe said handing Christian a card.

Rose's parents looked at me and then Abe and Adrian probably wondering if they could trust us.

"Look, Mr. and Mrs. Ozera, I know that my reason for being here in the states is not what I claimed it to be and that I have been dishonest and deliberately deceptive the entire time I've been here, but the one thing I have never lied about is my feelings for Rose. I love her and I would never put her in harm's way.

"You love her?" Abe asked glaring at me. "You've fallen in love with my teenage daughter?"

"Yes sir, I apologize for not being honest with you about that up front, but I didn't know she was your daughter when my feelings began to develop. I do love her sir and would do anything for her," I said hoping to God he wouldn't kill me right here and now thus proving that he was a thug.

"We'll discuss that later," he growled ushering us out to street where his guards were waiting.

We all met back up at Abe's hotel. It was getting late and I was beginning to worry about Rose. Her psyche was fragile and she'd been through a hell of a lot today. I wouldn't be surprised if she had an entire mental breakdown. Given her mother's history, I hoped she had not inherited the predisposition for either disorder.

"Now I can provide documentation that my wife was ill and suffered from paranoia and delusions, but what I cannot provide is an explanation for how my daughter ended up living with you," Abe began sitting on an overstuffed chair in the living area of his suite. He seemed willing to listen to what the Ozera's had to say, which was more than I had expected. He didn't seem like the most rational man on the planet.

Mark and Oksana sat nervously on the couch. His arm was protectively around his wife as she continued to cry softly. I felt awful for her. I kept thinking of what my mother would feel like in a situation like this.

"Start explaining," Abe demanded crossing his arms. Adrian sat on another chair and I decided to stand. I was too on edge to sit.

Oksana took a deep breath before speaking.

"It was March of 2000 and I was at the shopping mall with my two children Christian and Tasha. It was late and we were about to leave when your wife, Janine as you called her approached me. She was very paranoid. She told me that her husband was hunting her down and wanted her daughter. She said she'd been watching me and that she trusted me to take care of her. She ran off leaving Rose with me in the middle of the deserted mall," she said a far off look in her eyes.

"She was such a sweet little girl, but she was dirty and malnourished and cried for someone named Anne," she continued.

"Anne is the word for mother in Turkish," Adrian said.

"So why didn't you call the police. I would have had my daughter back and everything would have been fine. Why did you keep her from me?" Abe growled slamming his fist on the table which caused Oksana to jump and Mark to shield her defensively with his body.

"Baba,"Adrian warned. Abe waved him off, but made no other violent motions.

"I was on my way to the police station with her when I heard there was a car crash on the bridge. I got out of the car and saw your wife. She was pronounced dead on the scene." She stopped gauging Abe's reaction.

"I know that my wife is dead," Abe said regretfully.

"Is that because you killed her?" Mark accused boldly.

"What? No of course not. I just received confirmation two months ago that it was her. Do you honestly think that if I'd been the one to kill her that I wouldn't have been looking for my daughter here years ago?" he asked rising to his feet. He'd obviously taken offense to his remark.

"Then why was foul play suspected. They said it was a car bomb," Mark bit out also rising to his feet.

"I have no idea why they would say that," Abe responded. "I loved my wife. All I wanted was to have her back and Rosemarie as well. I never would have done anything to hurt them," he said his voice breaking.

"Then how do you explain the bomb? Someone was after her."

"That's not exactly true," I piped in.

"How would you know?" Mark asked.

"I've been researching that accident for two years and was the one who sent DNA from her grave to the lab for confirmation. There was a bomb involved, but after much speculation and investigation, they labeled it a suicide bomb. If you'd bothered to check up on it you would have known that." I sighed in frustration. I hadn't wanted to reveal that information, but it seemed like I had to so I could prove that Abe had not murdered his wife.

"What do you mean suicide?" Abe asked whipping around to face me.

"She made and set the device herself. She was trying to throw you off the trail is my best guess."

A look of utter anguish came over his face.

"I should have hospitalized her when I had the chance," he said softly.

"We didn't know," Oksana spoke up her voice unsteady.

"We just wanted to keep that beautiful little girl safe. At the time we were scared. We thought if we went to the police they would take her away and we were afraid that she would end up in foster care or worse that someone was after her and they would get to her. It was never our intention to keep her from a loving family. We just didn't know," she finished regret in her eyes.

Adrian who had remained quiet through the entire thing spoke up.

"I know you love her. I've seen it and I know she loves you. She's just confused right now. Put yourself in her shoes. She just found out that the people she loves and trusts most in the world have been lying to her for her entire life and on top of that her boyfriend has been lying to her as well and as justified as I know that is, imagine it from her perspective. Her entire world has just fallen out from under her. Us pushing her to choose one way or the other is just going to cause her more stress."

"So what are you suggesting?" Abe asked.

"I'm suggesting that when Christian finds her and brings her back that we allow her to make her choice without any pressure or coaxing, even if it hurts. I want nothing more than for her to come back to Istanbul with us and be the sister I knew and loved, but I realize that even if she comes back, she's not that girl anymore. She's had an entirely different life. The girl I've gotten to know over the past seven months is one hell of a woman and I wouldn't trade her for anything. I am willing to fill whatever place she'll allow me in her life, even if it's just a good friend. If you love her the way I know you all do, you'll follow my lead and do the same, no matter how painful it is. Can you do that?" he asked.

"It will be hard, but I can," Abe was the first to agree. He loved her too much to cause her any more suffering and was willing to put aside his own feelings for the sake of his daughter. Slowly Mark and Oksana nodded their heads in agreement as I knew they would.

"Belikov?" he asked.

"I will be whatever she needs, wherever and whenever she wants," I told him. It would kill me not to be with her, but if she didn't want me after things were explained, I loved her enough to respect her feelings. I would never stop wanting her and hoping she would come back to me someday. If she did by some chance forgive me and allow me back into her heart I would go wherever she wanted. I would move to Istanbul with her or set up a permanent residence here in Astoria. Hell, I'd follow her around the globe if she asked me.

"That I cannot agree to!" Mark argued.

"You're too old for her. She's barely eighteen. You can't be okay with him being with her." He looked at Abe to back him up. Boy was I screwed.

"I owe that man everything for finding my beloved Rosemarie. He has worked nearly three solid years on bringing her back to me and I will be forever indebted to him. He is a good, honest man and albeit slightly older than I'd like, he says he cares for her. I will not be the one to stand in the way of love, if that is what she so chooses."

Wow, I never expected Abe to be the one to support our relationship.

"You can't be serious," Mark argued in exasperation.

"My son is a good judge of character and if he says that his feelings are true, then I believe him." He looked to Adrian for confirmation.

"He loves her. He tried to stay away from her for so long, but it was inevitable. Their love was too strong to stay apart."

"Well I still don't like it."

"Mark, we are on thin ice with her already. Leave it be for now. He seems genuine," Oksana said rubbing her husband's shoulders.

"Genuine? He just spent the last eight months lying to our faces and our daughter," he snorted.

"With good reason," she reminded him. "And don't forget the web of lies we've spun ourselves."

"You're forgetting, she's eighteen," Abe sighed. "She is under no obligation to have anything to do with either family." Oksana's head snapped up at that remark as if she hadn't given any thought to the matter.

"No, she would never do that. She's angry, but she'll come back," Oksana said trying hard to convince herself and the rest of us.

"She'll come back to us won't she?" she asked looking at her husband for comfort.

"I don't know," he said embracing her tightly. "We can hope."

I knew Rose. She loved her family and even if it took time, she'd come back eventually. She'd forgive them. Maybe not today, but someday, they were her family, whereas she was under no obligation to forgive me. I only prayed that she loved me enough to see past my flaws.

**Wow that was a tough one to write. I hope I got the emotions right. I know it seems that Abe would be more likely to put up a fight, but remember, he loves his daughter and realizes that hurting the Ozera's means hurting Rose. Plus he trusts Adrian and Dimitri. Who was surprised by that? So any thoughts on what Rose is feeling and who she's going to choose? I have never had a story hit 2000 reviews! Please review and help make my day=) Next up is RPOV. Do you think she'll forgive Dimitri?**


	41. Chapter 41: Living Nightmare

**Chapter 41: Living Nightmare**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Wow 2006 reviews woo woo! You guys are awesome so in honor of all the reviewers I am posting this a day early. I was going to hold out until tomorrow, but I think you deserved it. **

**This chapter focuses a lot on what happened to Rose between December 21 1999 and March 23****rd**** 2000. Remember Janine was ill at this point and not in her right mind. **

RPOV

I ran until I had nothing left in me. I glanced around at my surroundings and realized that unconsciously I had run towards the park. I was breathless and the tears on my face were falling so fast, I could barely see straight. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either. It was in the low fifties if I had my guess although March temperatures could be unpredictable. I sat down on the old merry-go-round we used to play on as children. I didn't care that it was soaking wet from the rain earlier in the day. I couldn't feel the water seep into the back of my pant legs as I sat staring blankly at the empty park. If it had been ten degrees warmer, it would be bustling with children like I remembered it or was that another made up memory as well? I couldn't tell anymore.

I don't know how long I sat there, but it had begun to get dark. I couldn't believe the events of earlier today, only I could. I remembered everything with crystal clarity now. I had lived a mostly happy childhood in Istanbul with my Baba, Anne and Abi. I had everything a little girl could dream of. My father treated me like his little princess and my mother had her crazy days, but on her good days was fun. I adored my older brother and spent a lot of time with him.

One day though shortly before Christmas my mother had gone mad and grabbed me one day telling me we were going shopping, but instead when we got to the mall, we went inside only to come out the other end. I was sorely disappointed because I had saved up my paras to buy a gift for my Baba and Abi. She hotwired a car and drove down to the docks. I had screamed the entire way. I wanted to go home to my Baba and Abi Addie. Even at the age of six, I knew my mother was unstable. That is why every time Baba would leave, I would get really scared and run to my Abi.

Janine never been very responsible and had been quite neglectful, which was why Adrian had become such an integral part of my life. He'd diapered me as a baby, helped me in the potty when I was three, taught me from his books, stayed by my side whenever I had a nightmare or I had a tummy ache. He fed me when I was hungry, played with me when I was lonely and protected me when I was scared.

Don't get me wrong, Abe had done those things for me as well, when he was home. He traveled a lot for business, but when he was home, I remember him being a doting father. He made me pancakes, took me shopping for new toys and clothes, he read me bedtimes stories and he always did the voices. He even taught me how to ride a bike without training wheels.

The days between us leaving Turkey and my mother dumping me with the Ozera's had been a living nightmare. On the docks, my mother had given a large amount of cash to one of the workers who stashed us in the cargo hold of a freighter ship. It was cold and damp and we had no food and only a small amount of water. There was no bathroom and I remembered soiling myself out of need and out of fright several times, even though I had been potty trained years before.

The putrid stench was unbearable and my belly growled for food. It felt as if we were in there for months. I realized now it had only been a little over a week, but to a child and in those conditions it seemed like an eternity. We had to be quiet as they unloaded the crates so we wouldn't be discovered. I remember my mother holding her dirty hand over my mouth until the men were gone. After the ship docked for the final time she dragged me by the hand pulling me out into the blustery, frigid winter air. It was January and we were in what I now recognized as New York City. I had no coat, no gloves, no hat, scarf or boots and there was a foot of snow covering the ground. I'd never actually seen snow before. I'd only seen it in movies and read about it in books when we played school.

I thought that the first thing we would do would be to stop in a bathroom or get something to eat, but soon I realized those were the furthest things from my mother's demented mind. We ended up squatting in an old abandoned boxcar for days. It was freezing and there was no heat. The dress I was wearing did little to protect from the cold. Janine had left me there after a few days telling me to stay inside and that she'd be back soon. By this point I was so weak from lack of food and water, I could do little more than lie on the cold, hard, dirty floor and try to sleep.

I began to freak out when it became dark and she hadn't returned. She'd left me there alone for what I'd estimated to be three days during which I'd wandered outside to eat snow because I was dying of thirst. I must have eaten too much of it because I remember throwing up several times that night whether it was from nerves, trauma, or just plain sickness.

When she finally did come back she had a small bag of food. I scarfed down the little food she'd managed to bring and guzzled the water greedily. I should have paced myself and I would have had I known it would be another week before I'd get another chance to eat.

It went on like that for the next few months. We slowly made our way across the country stowing away in the cargo holds of train cars and other not so pleasant places. When my mother ran out of money, she'd traded what I now knew to be sexual favors to train conductors and even a male flight attendant who snuck us on a small plane that would take us to our final destination in Oregon.

I remembered the first time I met my new family. We'd finally gotten somewhere warm and dry and as it turned out it was another shopping mall. We stayed there all day people watching from a table in the eatery. I was starving and after realizing I wasn't going to be fed, I wandered over to another table that had been abandoned eating a half eaten piece of pizza off a stranger's plate. The memory of it made me want to wretch.

She'd finally seen what she'd been looking for and told me that I had to be a good girl and not cause any problems. She hugged me, kissed me and then took me by the hand leading me towards the door.

She said some things in English to the woman she'd approached before rushing off and abandoning me. That was the last time I'd ever seen my mother.

I remember screaming for my Anne and the woman asking me if I spoke English. I knew enough to understand her question and she asked me my name. I must have mumbled it because she started calling me Rosalie.

I remembered being in the car with Christian in the back seat. He was nice to me and shared his ice cream. He also let me play with his toy car. I remember liking him right away. Over the next few weeks I adjusted to my new life in my new home. I was so happy and relieved to have a fully belly, clean, warm clothes and a soft bed, but that was short lived.

I remembered waking from horrible nightmares and screaming for my Anne and Baba. I smiled a little remembering how Oksana, my new mother would come in every time I cried. She cuddled me against her chest whispering word of comfort staying with me until I fell asleep. Even though I missed my Baba and my Abi Addie, I slowly forgot my old life and all the painful memories in favor of the love and comfort my new family provided for me.

"Mind if I sit down?" Christian's voice startled me out of my reverie.

"It's a free country," I stated in a monotone.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"What for?" I asked.

"That you're in pain," he said taking my hand in his.

"Geez Rosie, you're freezing," he said rubbing my shoulders. I hadn't even noticed the drop in temperature as the sun went down.

"Did you know?" I asked turning towards him. His answer would mean a lot to me. I needed to know that at least someone in my life had been real.

He shook his head. "No, not until two days ago," he said sadly.

Sobs wracked my body at his admission of innocence. I allowed him to take me into his arms while I cried myself out.

"How did you find me?" I sniffed sometime later.

"I walked around aimlessly for hours until I got the bright idea to retrace your running path." I nodded.

"I'm supposed to bring you to your father's hotel," he said biting out the word father.

"I know you don't like him Chrissy, but he isn't the bad guy here."

"He seems that way," he mumbled.

"Are you mad at Mom and Dad?"

"I don't know," I told him honestly. "Are you?"

"Yes, no, I don't know. I understand their point of view, but then again if they really thought your father was in the mafia, they put Tasha and me in a lot of danger."

"He's not in the mafia," I told him.

"Then what's with the guards?"

"His job isn't exactly safe, but he's not involved in organized crime."

"You were six, how do you know?" he asked. I shrugged.

"He's my father, I just do."

"And what's with all the Turkish you were spewing out and how the hell are you flunking French?"

I laughed a little. "I don't know. I just know how to speak it. It was my first language. French is hard," I complained.

"What about Belikov?" he asked.

I inhaled sharply as the tears returned.

"He lied to me. I was just a means to an end for him. He would never have gotten involved with me if he wasn't investigating me."

"As much as I hate to defend the guy and believe me I hate it, you're wrong."

"How do you know?"

"He didn't have a clue that it was you until Valentine's Day."

"How did he know then?"

"Your allergy to Juniper berries. Apparently it was in his file on Rosemarie or you, I mean."

I sniffed. "Still he lied and he's twenty-four. How weird is that?" I asked breaking into sobs again.

He nodded pulling me closer. "Did you guys, you know," he asked which only caused me to sob harder.

"I'll kill him," he menaced. At this point, I didn't know if I wanted him to or not. Several minutes later his phone began to ring.

"Hello," he answered.

"Yes, I found her, she's okay," he said assessing me.

"Okay, I will," he said to whoever it was on the other line. I assumed it was my mother. Would I ever stop referring to her as my mother? I wondered. She had always been more of a mother to me than my own had.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked holding out his hand.

"No," I told him knowing full well that I'd never be ready to face them all especially Dimitri. He had hurt me so bad. I wanted to believe what Christian said, that he truly did want to be with me and I wasn't just some case to him, but I didn't know. How could I ever trust him again? He was too good at deceiving people. He actually had everyone fooled into thinking he was a high school student.

I wondered briefly if his name really was Dimitri. Did he pay those people to come here and pretend to be his family or were they in on it?

I took Christian's hand as he helped me down off the merry-go-round.

"Have you talked to Lissa?" I asked wondering if anyone knew about the huge mess my life was in right now.

"No, I texted her that we were having family time and I'd see her tomorrow."

We got into the car and he handed me my purse. "You dropped this," he said.

We pulled up in front of the swankiest hotel in town. It wasn't much, but it had some nice suites. I figured that this is where Baba was staying. He liked his luxuries," I thought thinking back to the mansion I'd lived in as a child. I was probably the only five year old to have a king sized four poster bed with fancy scarves for bed linens draped all around me.

"Oh Thank God," my mother cried rushing forward enveloping me in her arms. I stood there stiff as a board, not ready to hug her just yet. Upon seeing them again I realized that I did in fact have a lot of pent up anger and unresolved feelings about their lies.

"She's soaked to the bone. She needs fresh clothes." She didn't say anything else. I knew she was waiting for me to offer to come home with them, but I just wasn't up for it tonight. My father stood a ways back observing. I knew he was itching to hug me, but didn't want to risk angering me.

"Kizim, I'm so glad you are alright. I will have to concierge send up something from the gift shop," Baba said picking up the phone.

We all stood around awkwardly. Dimitri stood in the back of the room looking at me forlornly. I tore my eyes away from his knowing that if I gazed into them long enough, I'd melt right back into his arms. Was it sick that after all the lies and deception, that I still cared for him. Hell, I think I still loved him.

"Are you hungry? I ordered in some pizza," Adrian told me. I noticed that Avery had joined us and stood just a few feet behind Adrian. I remembered her from when we were children. She was Adrian's best friend. She smiled at me and I tried my best to give her one back.

"I don't feel much like eating," I told him. "I'm really tired." That reminded me that I would have to go home with my parents soon. I really would prefer not to. I waited for them to tell me I had to go.

"Where do you want to stay tonight?" Baba asked. I looked back and forth between him and my parents in confusion. No one seemed to want to tell me where I had to go. I was sure that my parents would insist that I return home with them.

"If it's okay, maybe I can stay at Adrian's?" I questioned. "I mean if that's okay with him," I added.

My mother looked devastated that I hadn't chosen to go home with them, but tried to mask it rather unsuccessfully.

"That's fine with me," he said as Avery nodded in agreement.

"Okay then it's settled," Baba said not sounding at all put out that I'd chosen my brother over him. The bell hop had brought up some clothes in my size and I went into the huge bathroom to change. As I ran my fingers through my windblown locks I wondered if I was making the right decision. I knew I didn't want to go home with my parents, but should I have stayed here with Baba? He'd been searching for me for twelve years and I felt terrible that I wasn't spending more time with him. I would just be more comfortable staying with Adrian and Avery.

"Roza," Dimitri's voice startled me as he knocked lightly on the door. I so did not want to see him or talk to him right now.

"Please not now," I begged.

"I know," he said sighing. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to go back to the Dragomir's and in the morning I will be packing my things."

"What?" I gasped. "You're leaving?" I may not have wanted to talk to him right now, but the thought of him going back to Russia before we had a chance to talk made my heart ache.

"Relax Roza, I'm just checking into a room here at the hotel. I can't stay at school now that my cover has been blown. It wouldn't serve a purpose anymore."

"Like seeing me wouldn't serve a purpose anymore," I muttered.

"Don't say that," he growled.

"Why it's true. What would a twenty-four year old see in a seventeen year old anyways?" I shot back.

"Don't put words in my mouth. Despite what you might think, what I feel for you is real," he insisted.

"Yea, real until you cash Baba's last paycheck," I snorted. I immediately regretted my words at the look of devastation and pain that flashed across his face.

"Do you really think that little of me?" he asked.

"I don't know. I don't even know you," I stammered.

"Yes, you do. I only lied about the things I had to," he said moving closer to me. Just being in such close quarters with him made me want to lose my resolve and fall right into his waiting arms. Luckily I was too smart for that.

"You still lied," I retorted.

"I know and I'm not asking you to forget that. I just want a chance to prove my love for you."

"I'm tired and confused right now," I told him.

"I know and I'm not going to push you. You have my number and you know where I'll be. Call me when you're ready to talk," he said kissing my forehead wistfully. It tingled where his lips had been and I couldn't shake the feeling that I shouldn't let him walk out the door.

"I guess this is goodnight," my father said approaching me as soon as I vacated the bathroom.

I took a deep breath as he hugged me tight. "You'll always be my little birdie," he whispered causing me to flinch. My mother was next and was unable to hide her tears as she clutched me so tightly I could barely breathe.

"We love you Rose," she said simply before talking my father's outstretched hand allowing him to lead her out of the suite as she completely broke down into full out sobs.

"It won't be the same without you Rosie," Christian said. I welcomed his embrace holding on for dear life.

"You'll always be my sister," he said following my parents out the door.

Dimitri had already left so that left just the four of us. I stood there in awkward silence, not quite knowing what to do.

"It's best you get her home and into a warm bed," Baba told Adrian who nodded.

"Are you ready Rose?" I nodded.

"İyi geceler benim tatlı kız. Sabah beni ziyarete gel. Biz yapmak için yetişmeye bir sürü var. Seni seviyorum,"**(Goodnight my sweet girl. Come back to visit me in the morning. We have a lot of catching up to do. I love you.) **Baba said drawing me close to him placing a kiss on the top of my head just as he had when I was a little girl.

"Seni seviyorum Baba," I responded allowing him to hold me as long as he wanted. He eventually released me and I followed Adrian and Avery to the car.

The ride was quiet. I'm not sure there was an appropriate topic of conversation for this situation.

"Home sweet home Little Cupcake," Adrian said as we pulled up in front of their apartment.

"Thanks for letting me stay. I just couldn't go home with them tonight," I said as Avery went to fetch sheets for the couch.

"Sorry we don't have a spare room," she apologized.

"Not a problem, I've had worse," I joked. I shouldn't have because I flashed back to the boxcar dropping the glass of water that was in my hand. It shattered all over the kitchen floor.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Adrian asked running out of the bedroom in just his pajama bottoms.

I shook my head to clear the memory. "I'm fine. I'm just tired. I'm sorry I made a mess and broke your glass. I'll clean it up," I said trying to locate a broom.

"Don't worry about it. You've had a long day," Avery said softly. Why don't you go change. I left a night shirt of mine for you in the bathroom."

I nodded walking towards the bathroom.

"What happened?" I heard Adrian ask. I stopped in my tracks so I could listen.

"I don't know. She was joking around and then it was like she wasn't there. She spaced out."

"She's tired, it's been a long day," Adrian said defending me.

"I know, but that's how Janine started off remember?" she said.

"Hush, you don't know that Rose will ever exhibit symptoms," he argued.

"I know, but it's hereditary. She's at risk and you know it. You need to watch her," she hissed.

I stopped listening and shut the bathroom door quietly behind me.

Was I going crazy? I knew my mother was definitely a whack job, but I hadn't known that it was something she could pass on to me. I gulped as I looked at myself in the mirror. Adrian was right. It had been a long day. I was tired. I prayed to God that Avery wasn't right. I didn't want to go crazy.

OPOV

We finally made it home. It had been by far the worst day of my life.

"Mom, Dad, what happened?" Tasha asked rushing down the stairs. I'd nearly forgotten that I'd told her to come home from school. That of course was when we were planning to run. It was too late for that now.

"Where's Rose?" she asked noticing we were one family member short.

"She's staying at Adrian's tonight," Christian said.

"Why? I thought it was dangerous. Aren't we leaving?" she asked.

"They found her. Adrian is her brother. They've been here for months trying to find her right under our noses."

"Oh my God! You let her stay with the mafia?" she shrieked.

"Long story, there is no mafia. The mother was a bi-polar schizophrenic," my husband explained.

"How did she take it? Did she fight?"

"She recognized her father. She spoke to him in Turkish," Christian said not sounding happy about it. I wondered briefly if he was going to turn on us as well for keeping secrets all these years. I just couldn't handle losing another child tonight.

"She speaks Turkish?"

"She's from Istanbul apparently," Mark said sitting down to remove his shoes.

"So that's it then? She's just going to go off with them and act like we don't exist?" Tasha cried out sounding upset. I knew she cared far more for her sister than she'd ever let on. She liked to act tough, but when it came down to it, her anger was her way of showing how hurt she was.

"I thought you'd want it that way? You never liked her," Christian bit out.

"Well now I know why. I can't believe she'd just choose them!"

"She hasn't chosen anyone yet," Mark said trying to stop their fighting.

"She's staying with Adrian for tonight and we'll go from there," he said matter of factly.

"Well I wouldn't be surprised if she and Belikov just run off together or something," she snorted.

"She's not speaking to him right now," Christian said.

"What why?"

"He was the private investigator hired to find her. He's twenty-four and has been lying to her since day one," he said sounding proud of the fact that they weren't on good terms.

"Well I'll be damned," she said.

"Everyone up to bed, it's been a long night," my husband said shooing the kids upstairs.

"Are you alright?" he asked sitting down beside me on the couch. I'd come in and sat down here and hadn't moved since.

"No I'm not alright. Our daughter is out there staying under another person's roof, hating us!" I cried.

"She doesn't hate us," he said trying to comfort me.

"She wouldn't even hug me goodbye," I sobbed. It had hurt me more than I ever thought possible when she'd shunned us in favor of staying with her brother.

"I feel like we're losing her. What if she never comes back?" By this point I was a wreck.

"Shhhh, my dear. Everything is going to be okay," he said in a soothing tone while he rubbed my back.

Later that night, I lie awake restless. There was no way I was going to sleep until she was home safe where she belonged. I kicked myself for thinking that. All those years that Abe Mazur spent just like this waiting for his daughter to come home. I felt like the most selfish person ever. How stupid was I to think that this would end well? I could see his love for her and hers for him. She wasn't coming home. Even if she remained in contact with us, things would never be like they were before. It broke my heart to see her in so much pain earlier. I could have kicked my husband for spilling the beans about Belikov to her. It was not the right time. She'd already been on overload. He could have been the one to calm her down and they could have spoken about it when she was in a better state of mind.

It wasn't entirely his fault though. My husband was a good man, a wonderful husband and father. He would never deliberately try to hurt one of our children. It was a heat of the moment knee jerk reaction that he was sure to regret later on. For her sake, I hoped their relationship worked things out. She was experiencing too many changes in her family dynamics right now to go through a heart wrenching break-up. I had half a mind to give that guy a good lecture though. While they were in Disney, I'd stumbled across Rose's prescription for birth control. I was torn between being upset that she had given away her virginity and relieved that she was smart enough to protect herself. One thing was for sure it would hurt her that much more to lose him if he'd been her first, which I'm pretty sure was the case.

I removed the covers and slipped my feet into my slippers padding down the hallway. I opened Christian's door checking to make sure he was there and then did the same to Tasha. They were both fast asleep. Tears crept down my cheeks as I opened Rose's door finding her room empty. I had prayed that it was all one big nightmare and that I'd open the door and she'd be there fast asleep with her IPOD still running and her cell phone buzing with texts.

I closed the door behind me and slipped under the covers on her bed clutching her pillow tightly to my chest.

"Please God bring our daughter back to us," I prayed as I fell into a fitful sleep.

**Uh oh! Is Rose going to go crazy? Who will she choose? What will her friends think when they find out. Will they take sides? **


	42. Chapter 42: Getting to Know You

**Chapter 42: Getting to Know You**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

RPOV

I woke to a loud screaming and someone shaking me violently.

"Rose, wake up!" I recognized Adrian's voice as I shot up off the couch. I realized that I had been the one screaming and was drenched in sweat. My hair was matted to my neck and forehead and my breathing was rapid.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked his voice soft and soothing

I nodded recollecting that I'd been dreaming of the nights I'd spent in the boxcar with Janine. It felt strange referring to her as my mother and I felt a little guilty thinking of her in that role. Oksana Ozera had been the only mother I'd known growing up and right now all I wanted was for her to comfort me. I remembered a time when Adrian had filled that role, but somehow it wasn't as comforting as it used to be. It might be because I was so used to having my mom around or because I realized how little I knew about his life between the time I was taken and the present. One thing I knew for sure is that as a child I had craved maternal affection and she had treated me like I was her own. I wiped a tear from my eye hoping Adrian didn't notice.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked sympathetically. I shook my head in negation. It was too painful to talk about and I knew it would be hard for him to hear and even worse for Baba. He was already dealing with enough. I didn't want to worry him. I wanted our reunion to be a happy one and if they knew the truth it wouldn't be. Avery already thought I was going crazy. I didn't need to add fuel to the fire.

"You were calling out for her," he said making himself at home on the couch next to me flipping on the television for background noise.

"Anne?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so. You were calling for mom. I assume you meant Mrs. Ozera," he replied. If he was at all upset by it, he didn't show it.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. I was grateful for the subject change.

I nodded. I was ravenous having not eaten dinner last night.

"Baba wants to meet us for breakfast. Would you prefer it be here or there?"

"Here is good," I told him. I didn't want to have to change seeing is that I had no real clothing to speak of at the moment.

"What do you want?" he asked. "I can order in."

"Do you have milk, eggs and flour?" I asked. He nodded.

"I can make pancakes and eggs if you want," I offered.

"Sounds good, that is if you're up to it?" he asked.

Truth was that I was dying to do anything that didn't require thinking or talking. My mind was still messed up from yesterday and I would have done anything, even math homework right now to shut my brain off from my thought flow. I didn't like where it was headed. I just knew that I'd only have a few days that they'd let me stay in limbo before I had to decide old family or new family. I nearly started bawling at the thought of not being with either of them.

Adrian and Baba were my real, blood family, but Mom, Dad and Christian were there for me every time I needed them. They fed me, clothed me, bathed me, put a roof over my head, helped me with my homework, took care of me when I was sick and comforted me in my sadness. I had never felt anything but loved while I was with them. In fact, I hated to admit that Tasha was right, but she was. They had treated me differently. I was the favored child and everyone knew it. I'd gotten away with murder in that house. I'd always thought it was because I was the youngest, but now I saw that it was because they feared losing me.

I also had no idea how to feel about Dimitri. Yes, I was angry as hell at him for lying to me, but a part of me wanted to understand. I needed to figure out if he really did love me or if he was just getting close to me as a means to determine my true identity. I wanted to believe he was sincere especially after I saw the wounded look on his face last night as I accused him of being in it for the money. I had to be careful though. He was way older than me and probably had a lot more experience in matters of the heart. I couldn't afford to be too forgiving. My heart was on the line and as broken as it was now, it would be worse if I took him at his word and he turned out to be a liar down the road. I knew I'd have to talk to him eventually, but I just didn't have the focus to do that now. Besides, I needed to talk to Lissa. She was my best friend and I wanted her input. I just wasn't ready to face her or the rest of my friends yet either. Everything was still so new and my wounds were too fresh. I needed time to process.

I busied myself making up the pancake batter, warming the butter and syrup and setting the table, but even that wasn't a viable distraction. What if I made the wrong choice? I was so angry with my parents for lying to me all these years, but they must have had good reason for it. They didn't seem to care much for Abe and I couldn't understand why. My mother had been terrified yesterday in the coffee shop. It didn't make sense.

"Why was my mom so afraid when she saw me with Baba?" I asked Adrian.

A small smiled played on his lips. "Janine told them he was the head of the Turkish Mafia and he wanted to get his hands on you."  
>I laughed out loud. "Baba, in the mafia? That's really funny," I told him. "And it was funny. Baba might be intimidating to some, but he did not have people bumped off if they crossed him. Sure he probably ruined their business reputations and bankrupted them, but murder, I didn't think so.<p>

"I thought so too, but who knows what she said to them. She was certifiable," he said becoming serious.

"Where is she now?" I asked. I already knew in my heart what he was going to say.

His face took a hard line.

"Baba will be here soon. I'll get the glasses. Do you want milk or orange juice?" he asked deliberately ignoring my question, thus confirming my suspicions.

"She's dead isn't she?" I asked my voice cracking with emotion.

"Little Cupcake, it's okay to take things slow," he said putting his arm around my shoulders.

"I'm a big girl, Abi, I can handle the truth," I snapped, tired of people treating me like a child deciding what I could and couldn't handle.

He sighed letting out a deep breath. "Yes, she is dead," he confirmed.

"How?"

"Car crash, the same night she left you with the Ozera's."

I remembered stopping on the bridge and my mother getting out of the car. There were fire trucks, an ambulance and a police car. I remembered Tasha's words that night and they chilled me to the bone.

"No one could survive that," she'd said.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded. "I figured as much," was all I said. It was sad that she was dead, but I wasn't going to get emotional about it. She may have been ill, but the things I'd had to endure because of her had thrown my life and the lives of the ones I loved into chaos. Resentment towards her was beginning to creep into me and I welcomed it. I had a feeling I was going to be spending a lot of time in therapy these next few years.

"Good morning," Avery murmured entering the kitchen. She was in her flannel PJ's and her hair was tousled.

"Glad to see I'm not the only one who's not a morning person," I said trying to act like making breakfast for my long lost family was an everyday occurrence.

"Yea, it must run in the family," Adrian joked assessing his own lack of shirt and messy head of hair.

I set down a huge frying pan of eggs in the middle of the table, the same table we'd sat at while eating cake on January twenty-seventh, my real birthday.

"Günaydın kızım ve oğlum," (**Good morning daughter and son.)** Baba greeted us with a huge smile as he strolled into the place like he owned it. One thing I remembered clearly about him was his huge presence when he walked into a room.

"Günaydın Baba," I responded accepting the hug I knew he wanted by the way he held out his arms. I kissed him on the cheek before letting go.

"Gosh how I've missed you. You're all grown up." His voice held melancholic undertones.

"Sit down Baba, I've made breakfast," I told him, pouring some batter onto the pan.

"She cooks too," he said with a smile. "That's my girl. Do you know that when you were a child, Emil had to make extra pancakes because you were such a good little eater?" he asked.

"She still is," Adrian teased pointing to the stack of eight pancakes I'd heaped on my plate.  
>"So I see," he responded, joy in his eyes.<p>

Conversation was light during the meal keeping to safe topics.

"How is school?" Baba asked. Adrian snorted as I made a face.

"I don't like it much, especially math," I told him.

"Do you make good marks? You were so smart as a child."

I hated to admit to him that I was just the average student.

"Sometimes, but not always," I admitted sheepishly.

We bantered on with him asking about things I enjoyed to do. I talked a little about my friends and he asked about our trip to Disney, which we all agreed was the best time we'd had this year.

After the dishes had been cleared the conversation took a more serious nature.

"How have you been all these years? Have they treated you well?" he asked. I knew the topic of my family would come up sooner or later. I didn't know what to say. Should I admit that up until a few days ago, I thought I had a wonderful life? I didn't want to speak ill of the people who'd raised me. They were good people. I didn't want to hurt my father and brother either by having them think I didn't want them or I wouldn't have missed them had I remembered who they were.

Sensing the reason behind my hesitation, he amended his question.

"It's okay to tell me you lived a good life kizim. That is all I have been praying for during your absence."

I swallowed nervously looking to Adrian for support. He nodded letting me know it was okay to tell the truth.

"I had a good life," I told him shakily. "They took good care of me and I was happy."

He let out a breath of air. "I am so glad to hear that. I can't deny that I have wished to have you home every day that you've been gone, but I am relieved to know that you weren't suffering or alone," he said. I could tell hard it was difficult for him to accept that I had made a life with another family.

"I'm sorry I forgot you Baba," I whispered through the tears that had begun to creep down my cheeks.

"You were six years old Rosemarie. Nothing that has happened has been your fault. Jeannie was ill and I knew it. I should have done something sooner."

"Don't blame yourself Baba. I'm alive and safe and we're all together now. That's all that matters."

"I always knew you would grow up to be a strong young woman." he said smiling.

"So speaking of how we found you, I owe a lot to Detective Belikov." At the sound of Dimitri's name, my heart clenched in my chest.

"It has come to light that the two of you are involved," he cleared his throat and stroked his beard before finishing his sentence. "romantically," he said eyeing me closely.

"We were," I muttered not really wanting to explain. He raised his eyebrow at me, but didn't comment further.

"Cut him some slack, Little Cupcake. The guy was between a rock and a hard place. Either way he was going to lose. He tried staying away from you and I watched it kill him slowly. You should at least give him a chance to explain," he urged.

"Why are you suddenly his biggest cheerleader?" I asked skeptically.

"He's the only one who never gave up on you. We've had dozens of private investigators on the case over the years and every last one has told us to give up because you were long since dead," he said his voice thick with emotion.

"Dimitiri worked on this case nearly three years and not once did he even utter the words give up. He wanted to help us because he's a good man," he finished.

"Well why don't you date him," I grumbled still not entirely convinced. With all the lies he told, I wondered if I knew anything real about him.

"Well, he's a guy for one and two, I'm a happily married man," he said grinning as he brought Avery's hand to his lips kissing it softly. It was then I noticed that both of them were wearing wedding bands.

I gasped jumping to my feet. "Abi, Şu an evil ve sinmedi mı?" **(You're married and I missed it?)**

He and Avery both nodded as he kissed her softly on the lips.

"Wow, aren't you a little young to be married?" I asked suddenly realizing that they were not much older than I was.

They both laughed. "Not when you're as in love as we are," she said.

"Do you have pictures?" She nodded pulling out her wallet, handing me a photo.

"Wow," I breathed. "You were so beautiful. Abi, you looked so put together and grown up," I said mesmerized by the beautiful smile he had on his face. I remembered the two of them being close as children and what he told me recently about how she helped him through the tough times in his life and they'd fallen in love.

"You'll have to watch our wedding video when we get back to Istanbul," Adrian said. Avery punched his arm. My heart began to race at the thought of them leaving without me, but then again could I really leave my family and friends behind?

"Calm yourself Kizim, we are going to stay here with you as long as you want," Baba interjected sensing I was about to freak.

"So what's on the agenda for today? You don't have school am I correct," Baba asked. It was Saturday and Spring Break was almost at its close. I only had one more day before school resumed. The question was, would I be going back or moving halfway across the world. If I did go back would I be moving back in with my parents or would I stay here with my brother or brothers? Geez this was confusing.

"No school until Monday," I replied dumbly.

"Okay then, since you're the resident of this town, what would you like to do?" he asked.

"I need to change," I told him. That had to happen before we went anywhere.

"I think I can help with that," Christian interrupted as he poked his head in the door. On his shoulders he carried my huge duffel bag.

"Mom packed for you and asked me to drive it over," he said setting it down on the floor with an oomph. I gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Chrissy, I want you to officially meet my Baba," I told him. "Baba this is my brother Christian," I said introducing the two. Adrian growled as I used the word brother. I scowled at him. Christian was an essential in my life. I wasn't going to stop being his sister just because we weren't blood related.

"It's nice to meet you," Baba said holding out his hand.

"Wish I could say the same," Christian replied in a stiff tone. I glared at him and he shrugged. I knew it was going to take him a while to get used to this. Hell it was going to take me a lifetime to sort through my shambles of a life.

"Well I better be going. Mom's a wreck. She's been crying all night and all morning. I think I should be home with her," he said giving me a meaningful look causing guilt to seep into my heart.

He didn't give me a chance to respond before exiting quickly.

"Well he seems to be warming up," Abe said trying to lighten the mood.

"Could have fooled me," Adrian snorted earning him another punch in the arm from his wife. Gosh that was weird. My Abi was married. Speaking of which, I wondered if Baba every remarried or if he had a girlfriend. I made a mental note to ask about it later.

"Why don't you show you're old Baba around. You know, the local haunts and such."

I changed my clothes crying to whole time as I pulled out one neatly folded outfit after another. She'd remembered to pack my favorite sweatshirt of Dimitri's that I'd stolen from him one day when I was cold. I lifted the soft fabric to my nose and inhaled the glorious scent that still mingled in it.

I sat on the bathroom floor and broke down even further as I pulled out my IPod and found a framed photo of our family taken on Christmas this year. There was a simple note in my mother's delicate handwriting that said:

**We love you Rose. You will always be a part of our family.**

I couldn't move. I just sat there on my knees bawling like a baby. I barely noticed when strong arms enveloped me kneeling beside me in comfort.

Ben sizin için burada benim tatlı kız. Baba her şeyi daha iyi hale getirecektir**.( I am here for you my sweet girl. Daddy will make everything alright again.)**

CPOV

"Christian, what the hell is going on?" Lissa demanded. It was Monday after school and I was facing the blonde inquisition as Lissa, Andree, Mia, and Sydney accosted me. Jill, Mason and Eddie hung behind and watched at a distance. I had only come in to grab the books from my locker. Mom had decided it was alright for me to skip a few days of school until things settled down. Dad had taken some personal days and Rose was God knows where doing God knows what. She hadn't been back to the house and besides a text saying she was fine, she hadn't been in touch.

Tasha was being a complete bitch about the whole thing and had gone on a rampage after she caught Mom sleeping in Rose's bed last night. She's screamed about how Mom and Dad loved Rose more than her and that Rose was a selfish little bitch who didn't appreciate all they'd done for her.

She'd gone to the kitchen and came back with a knife. She gutted Rose's pillows and stabbed holes in her mattress. One would say she was not taking this whole thing well at all.

Mom was hysterical at her fit and Dad finally had to use his brute strength to restrain her from doing any further damage after she threw a snow globe at the mirror shattering both into a million pieces. Mom stayed up all night cleaning things and sewing Rose's mattress back together saying she didn't want her to have to sleep on the couch when she came home. I wanted to scream at her that she was delusional and Rose was not coming home, but I refrained out of respect.

Things were not going well for our family right now and the aftermath of everything was catching up with me. I hadn't slept in two days and I hadn't shaved since it happened. I was beginning to resemble a caveman as I walked hunched over feeling like I had a killer hangover.

Lissa and everyone knew something was terribly wrong, but I didn't know what to say so I'd turned off my phone and avoided facebook. I knew Rose wasn't answering her phone or texts and Belikov had packed his stuff and moved out of their house leaving everyone wondering what was going on.

"Christian! Answer me! What is going on," she repeated in a desperate tone. She was on the verge of breaking down into tears and I felt terrible. I love her more than anything, but this was not something I could just blurt out at school.

"Why did Dimitri leave? Why aren't you answering your phone? Your father says you refused to see me when I came over yesterday and where the hell is Rose? No one has seen or heard from her since Thursday. On top of that Adrian isn't here and you were absent and so was your dad. Did something happen to Rose?" she asked her façade finally falling as tears leaked freely from her eyes.

My heart broke as I took her in my arms stroking her soft hair trying to soothe her.

"Things are bad at home right now. I can't talk about it. Please just give us all some time to recover before you start grilling us, especially Rose," I warned.

"She's okay though?" she asked. I nodded pulling away.

"Physically she is fine. I can't say anymore right now."

"What about Dimitri and Adrian?" Andree asked. "Belikov just left saying he needed to go home right away, but I followed him and he didn't go home. He's staying at the hotel across town."

"Look, I know everything is fucked up right now," I growled. "I can't help you. I need to get home." I slammed my locker shut in anger causing Lissa to flinch while the rest just stood by wide eyed at my behavior.

"Liss, just give me some time. I love you and I promise that none of this has anything to do with us or our future. Can you trust me?" I looked into her gorgeous jade green eyes pleading with her to give me the space I needed.

She nodded. "I love you," she said throwing herself into my arms.

"Tell Rose that we love her too," she added as they all walked away leaving me alone in the empty hallway.

"If she even cares," I whispered, a lone tear making its way down my cheek.

**Okay this was definitely an emotional chapter. Admit it you cried, I know you did=) Next chapter will have Rose talking Lissa and her friends. Dimitri will be heard from, but he and Rose will not come face to face just yet. Tell me what you think=)**


	43. Chapter 43: Sucker Punch

**Chapter 43: Sucker Punch**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**So sorry my update is late. My wonderful husband took me to a really nice Russian restaurant downtown this weekend and the food was fabulous, however my stomach didn't think so and I spent quite a bit of time trying not to blow chunks on the train ride home. Needless to say I had to lie down for a while. Probably more than you wanted to know, but there you have it. Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

LPOV

As much as I loved Christian and I knew he loved me, it still hurt that he shut me out. Today was Thursday and we hadn't spoken since Monday afternoon in the hallway. This was the longest we'd gone without talking in nearly six years and it was killing me. I was beyond worried. Not only was Christian avoiding me, Rose hadn't been heard from in a week. Dimitri had just up and moved out for some reason. His mother had called saying she was grateful for our family taking care of him, but that it was time for him to get out on his own. My parents were confused to say the least and I had nothing to offer them in the way of knowledge. I was just as in the dark as anyone. Adrian and Avery were both a-wall to make matters worse.

I really needed my best friend right now. Her father had returned to work yesterday and looked like hell. I thought about approaching him after school, but Andree had insisted we let them come to us. I hated that my brother was so rational. I was lying on my bed hating life and shunning the rest of my friends due to my foul mood when my phone beeped with a text. I rolled over grabbing it off the night stand. I so did not feel like talking to anyone right now, it was probably just Mia trying to get me to come over again. Curiosity got the better of me and I looked at it.

I shot up off the bed. It was from Rose. It said:

**Look out the window.**

It was ten o'clock, on a school night no less yet I rushed to the window to find her standing outside. She gave a slight wave as I opened the window.

"I'm coming up," she called.

"Now?" I hissed.

"Fine, I can go," she said turning around. Her voice was shaky and sounded foreign to me.

"No!"I screeched louder than I should have. "Get your ass up here. You've got some explaining to do," I scolded. There was no way I was letting her leave without an explanation.

She pulled up her sleeves and scaled the tree stealthily. She'd done it dozens of times before. My parents wouldn't turn her away even at this hour, but I knew she didn't want to answer their probing questions.

After she was safely inside, I shut the window.

"Are you okay?" I asked looking her over. Christian had told me she wasn't physically harmed or sick, but I didn't know what to think. She had no visible signs of being injured, but looked tired and worn out. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy like she'd been crying and her hair was a mess. She stood quietly for nearly a full minute before breaking down.

"No, I'm not okay." Sobs wracked her body. I wrapped myself around her in a full body hug and she clung to me as she continued in hysterics.

"Do you want some water?" I asked. It had taken her nearly a half an hour to pull herself together and now I was really concerned. Rose did not cry easily. In fact, I could only think of a handful of times I'd seen her cry over the years.

She hiccupped and nodded as I went to my mini fridge to get her a bottle.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked more curious than ever.

"Not really, but I have to," she said. "I don't even know where to start."

"Just start at the beginning and take it slow," I said squeezing her shoulder reassuringly as we sat cross legged facing each other on my bed.

"Promise not to freak out," she warned.

"I promise," I said holding out my pinky. She linked hers with my own in our pinky promise. We'd been doing it since we were kids. It was silly, but it seemed to dial down the drama a bit.

I listened in absolute shock as she recounted the events of this past week. By then end we were both in tears. I had no idea what to say to her. She'd basically had the rug ripped out from underneath her. So many things in her life were a lie and on top of everything Dimitri had turned out to be a Russian spy after all. All I could think was that this was serious stuff that was not going to go away anytime soon.

"I can't believe we were housing a spy this whole time," I gasped.

"He was a damn good liar," she snorted.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. I knew he was a little strange about people going in his room, but now that I know why, I feel just terrible."

"Don't. It's not your fault. You didn't make him lie to me." The hurt in her voice was evident as she spoke of the man that just one week ago she'd been sure was going to be her future husband.

"So what are you going to do?" I asked thinking now that it would have been much easier had she confessed that she was a lesbian or that she was pregnant with Dimitri's love child or had robbed a liquor store. Of all the things I thought she'd say, being kidnapped and raised by strangers was not even a remote thought in my mind.

"I don't know," she sighed stretching out on my bed.

"I'm so confused. My Baba and Adrian have done absolutely nothing wrong. They've spend twelve years searching for me. They never gave up hope that they'd find me someday."

"Wow, I can't believe Adrian is your brother." That had really thrown me for a loop. There were too many lies to keep up with.

"How is your family taking all of this?" I asked knowing full well that they were suffering if Christian and Mr. Ozera's behavior said anything.

"Mom's been a wreck crying all the time. Christian is pissed off one because they lied to him too and two because I refuse to go home and I don't know about Tasha or Dad," she said.

"Your Dad looked terrible at school yesterday and today," I told her. She looked distressed at my revelation.

"If you haven't been home, where are you staying?" I asked a little upset that she hadn't come to me if she needed a place to stay.

"Adrian and Avery's. They're married you know," she said.

My eyes widened. "This is a lot to take in," I breathed.

"Tell me about it."

"Are you angry with them, you know for lying and stuff?"

She nodded. "I want to be so badly. If they had just gone to the police I would have been sent back to my family with little or no harm done. Then again if that was the case, then I wouldn't have met you or Christian or the rest. I can't think of which is worse."

"I guess we'll never know," I said putting my arm around her shoulder.

"Are you going to go live with your real family in Turkey?" I asked feeling selfish for hoping she'd say no, not only because I would miss her, but for Christian's sake.

"I wish I knew what was the right thing to do. I want to know them better, but I don't know if I can leave everything behind. Is it sick that after everything they lied about that I still love them?" she asked her voice breaking.

"No, don't think that way. They love you. I know they do. They weren't the ones who kidnapped you. They just made the best of a very bad situation. They thought they were protecting you and although it wasn't the best thing to do, it certainly wasn't the worst. They could have dumped you at an orphanage or in a foster home or who knows, you could have ended up on the streets."

"That's what makes this so hard. I want to be mad at them and to an extent, I am, but part of me wants to run to my Mommy and Daddy for comfort. I told you I'm going crazy just like my mother. It's genetic you know," she sobbed.

"That doesn't make you crazy," I told her. "It makes you human." She nodded, but didn't seem convinced.

"You are not going crazy. Just because your birth mother suffered from a mental disorder does not mean that you will." I wanted to ask what had happened to her mother, but I didn't want to risk upsetting her further. I figured if she wanted to tell me she would.

"What about Dimitri?" I asked knowing it was definitely a loaded question. Her jaw took a hard line and her posture stiffened.

"He lied to me. I know he had good reason and I can forgive him for that, but I don't know about the rest. He's older than I am, he lives in Russia and is a spy or whatever. I don't know if anything he's told me is the truth or just something he made up for his case. I think that's the real issue. I don't really feel like I know who he is and that's why it hurts so much." She clutched her heart as she continued and my heart broke for her.

"You should at least talk to him before he leaves," I told her.

"I know," she sniffed. "I want to, but I feel really stupid right now and I'll feel even worse if he really was just using me."  
>"I know sweetie, but the longer you wait, the harder it will be and for the record, I really don't think he was using you."<p>

"I know. I just don't know what do to."

"Well think of it this way," I said.

"Are you happy you've been reunited with your real family even if it's painful?"

"Of course. I love them. I am so happy to see them again."

"Well who do you have to thank for that?" I asked.

"Dimitri, I guess. He's the one who found me."

"Well then, I suggest talking to him to figure out if you guys had something worth fighting for. Then you can get reaquainted now that you know the truth."

"Maybe," she said stifling a yawn.

"Does anyone know you're here?" I asked. She nodded.

"Adrian does."

"Do you want to stay? I'll have Lucy call me in sick tomorrow so we can veg out," I offered.

"Okay, I guess that sounds good."

"Tell me about your father," I said grabbing a spare nightgown and tossing it at her.

"He's just as I remember him. He's the best father a girl could ask for." I could see the guilt and confliction in her eyes as she said it. I knew she was comparing her real father to the father her raised her. I could see that this was going to be a long, hard road to recovery for all of them. I just hoped they all made it out of this and could maintain some type of cordial relationship.

We stayed up for another hour talking about her life before she was brought her and her mother had gone all batshit and abandoned her and then took her own life. By the time I fell asleep I was so grateful that after everything that she'd endured, she was still alive and still fighting. If it were me, I would have had a mental breakdown by now. Not Rose though. She was a warrior and if anyone was strong enough to pull through this it was her.

DPOV

"Yes, Mama, it all blew up in my face," I said with a sigh rubbing the stubble on my chin with my free hand. It had been a week since I'd seen my beautiful Roza's face, a week since I'd moved out of the Dragomir's and a week in which I hadn't felt much like celebrating the victory of solving the missing person's case on Rosemarie Mazur.

I listened again to my mother try and reassure me that all hope was not lost, but I didn't believe her. Rose hadn't called, texted, facebooked or e-mailed since that night. It was torture knowing that she had been here at the same hotel to visit her father albeit six floors above where I was staying in the cheapest bare minimum room, but still, she had been here and had made no effort to contact me. She was done with me, I just knew it.

"Okay Mama, I will call soon," I told her not really knowing if I meant it. I sighed taking a seat on the edge of the bed. How had my life come to this? Oh yea, stupid you got involved with a teenage girl, to whom you spent a lot of time lying to and then destroyed her happy life. I didn't really have to wonder why she hadn't been in touch. I'd hurt her more than I wanted to admit.

When she'd accused me of only being with her so I could get the pay off from her father, it was like she'd thrust a sword directly through my heart. All the money in the world couldn't make up for the fact that I'd lost the only girl I'd ever loved. Even if she never came back to me, I would pine for her the rest of my days.

There was a knock on the door and I rose to my feet wondering who knew I was here besides the obvious. I unlatched the deadbolt and opened the door sighing in defeat as it was only Adrian.

"What do you want?" I snapped. I knew I had no right to be angry with him, but right now I wasn't in control of my emotions.

"Well I can see you've been wallowing in self pity," he said strutting in the door like he owned the place.

"Do you have a reason for coming or is it just to annoy me?" I asked tersely. I was losing the little patience I had left.

"Here," he said handing me an envelope.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's your final check from my father for a job well done," he said sounding truly genuine.

"We can't thank you enough for sticking with it until you brought her back to us. As much as we have suffered, I know you're suffering too," he added sitting down on the lone chair on the far side of the room.

I tossed the envelope on the counter unopened. I had no desire to see what was inside. I didn't deserve it. I had played a part in hurting her and deserved to be punished.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked. "I think I have water."

"Actually I brought my own," he said pulling out a bottle of what looked to be expensive champagne.

"I thought we could toast," he said. I regarded him closely. What the hell was he doing? Did he really come by to thank me or was he just rubbing it in my face that Rose had left me? I couldn't tell. Here he was though sitting in my room acting like we were friends. I had nothing else to do so I figured why the hell not.

"Look, I have it on good authority that my sister misses you," he said popping open the bottle as I set two paper cups on the table.

I raised my eyebrows at him my heart thumping in my chest.  
>"Did she say that?"<p>

"Not while she was awake, but she cries for you in her sleep," he said with a smirk. While it wasn't what I'd hoped for it was something.

"How is she?" I asked sipping on my cup. It was definitely expensive and slid down quite easily.

"A hot mess, but she'll pull through it. Dad's suggested that we go to group therapy and she didn't decline."

"Is she back at school?"

"No, not yet. Dad let her take the week off, but he's making her go back Monday."

"So I take it she hasn't been in contact with the Ozera's?"

"Not yet, but she's going to crack soon."

"How can you tell?"

"She's at Lissa's now," he said. "I looked at the clock. It was after eleven."

"I guess she's telling them why I left," I mused. He nodded.

"Look, Rose is a tough cookie. She's going to pull through this. She just needs time to adjust. Don't give up on her."

"Why are you helping me?" I asked warily.

He shrugged. "I know you love her. She loves you too. She'll regret it if she lets you go so easily and so will you."  
>"What do you suggest I do? I don't want to push her. She's fragile right now. I should let her come to me. It's her choice," I told him.<p>

"You know nothing about women do you?" he snorted tossing back the rest of what was in his cup, pouring himself another.

"Why is that?"

"Women want to be chased, pursued. If you do nothing, she'll think you were never interested thus justifying her distrust."

"I didn't think of that," I said feeling foolish.

"Like I said, you know nothing about women. Have you even tried calling her?" he asked.

"No," I admitted sheepishly.

"Ugh, seriously what did they teach you about dating in Russia?" he said rolling his eyes.

"Call her, leave her messages, text her, facebook her. Show her you want her in your life and that you can't spend one minute apart from her or it will kill you."

"Isn't that a little stalkerish and melodramatic?"

"Sure, but girls like that. I mean come on they're all jonesing for that Edward Cullen guy to peep into their windows and watch them sleep for God's sake. Chicks think that stuff is romantic and shit," he said.

"Any other bright ideas?" I asked after I got sent to voicemail six times and she failed to return my texts.

"Make a grand gesture. Prom is coming up. Find a special way to ask her," he suggested.

"You're not taking her back to Istanbul right away?" I asked quite surprised.

He shook his head. "She's not ready. Dad wants to keep her life as normal as possible for now. We're all going to stick around for a while. Dad's going out house hunting tomorrow. Plus, she needs to graduate and resolve things with the Ozera's, then if she so chooses, she can come back with us. She's eighteen you know."

What he said made a lot of sense. Make a grand gesture, I thought after he'd left. Prom is coming. I needed to think of something and fast. I lie awake for a long time missing our nightly phone call. I longed to hear her voice and feel her skin against mine, her lips against mine just one more time, my hands tangled in her beautiful hair. A lot of good this was doing. Thinking about her only kept me awake.

I must have drifted off to sleep at some point on the couch because the next thing I knew I was waking up to a loud banging on my door.

"I'm coming," I called schlepping myself off the couch towards the door. My eyes widened and I did a double take at who was on the other side.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"We came with a message from Rose," she said drawing back her fist. She punched me quite hard with great accuracy taking me entirely by surprise as I staggered back into the room. Holy crap, I think Lissa just broke my nose. Blood spurted out everywhere and I knew I'd heard a crack.

"Owwww," she whined clutching her hand. "That hurt, but it was worth it."

"Damn straight it was," Mia joined in entering the room. Before I had a chance to move or protect myself she kneed me in the groin causing me to drop to my knees as I grunted at the intensity of the pain.

"That's for being a dick!" she growled stalking back to where Lissa was still clutching her hand.

"We're not done yet," Sydney said stepping forward slapping me clear across the face.

"You sicken me," she said spitting on me.

"Wait wait, it's my turn," Jill called as she grabbed my ear and twisted as hard as she could.

"I told you that day at the mall that if you hurt her I wouldn't be happy with you," she hissed pulling harder.

"I'm sorry," I managed praying she would let go before talking my ear clean off my head.

"Sorry doesn't cut it asshole," Mia snarled as they turned and left me writhing in pain on the floor of my hotel room.

"Damn those girls sure know how to inflict pain," I groaned. I deserved it though so I had no one to blame but myself.

I was still lying on the floor when I heard a gasp from the hallway. The girls had left the door open when they left leaving me exposed to whoever was in the hallway.

"Oh my God, what happened to you?" I must have died and gone to heaven because I could have sworn that I heard my Roza's voice. Through my bleary eyes I could see her angelic form hovering over me worry in her beautiful brown eyes.

"Dimitri? Can you hear me?" she asked waving her hand in front of my face.

"Roza?" I croaked.

"Did my father or brother do this to you?" she asked struggling to help me into a sitting position.

"Which ones?" I asked.

"I dunno either of them?" she responded.

"No, it wasn't any of them," I grunted wincing at the pain that still resided in my groin.

"Oh gosh, you're bleeding everywhere," she cried. "Don't move. I'm going to get a clean cloth and some ice," she called disappearing for a few minutes returning with said items.

"You don't have to," I told her as she began to clean the blood off my face.

"Someone has to. You're a mess. Who did this?" she repeated.

I sighed. "It's not important."

"Don't lie to me!" she commanded looking into my eyes.

"Sydney slapped me and spit on me, Jill threatened me and nearly ripped off my ear, Mia kneed me in the groin and Lissa broke my nose," I admitted giving it to her straight.

"Lissa broke your nose?" she asked gaping at me. I nodded.

"Wow!" was all she said as she placed a bag of ice on the bridge of my nose.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Not as much as being away from you," I told her. She inhaled sharply looking away. I clasped my hand over hers as she held the ice on my face.

"Roza," I whispered.

"I'm not ready," she said pulling her hand away like she'd been burned jumping quickly to her feet.

"I'm not giving up," I told her rising to my feet as well.

"Maybe you should," she murmured.

"Why because you don't love me?" I asked knowing I was pushing it, but if I was going to take Adrian's advice, I might as well crash and burn to the fullest.

"I don't know you," she stammered backing away.

"Yes, Roza you do. I didn't lie to you about who I am," I said reaching out for her hands. "My age, occupation and reason for being here yes, but nothing else. Everything I told you about my life was true. You met my real family and they loved you. I will do anything to earn your trust back Milaya. Just tell me there's a chance for us," I pleaded knowing what I was asking her to do was unfair.

"I want to say yes," she said and my heart fell as I knew that a but was coming.

"But I'm just so confused right now with everything that's going on. I don't even know who I am right now." Yep there it was the but.

I sighed. "I know you're confused. Let me be the one to help you." I knew I was sounding desperate at this point, but in truth, I was. I knew she was the one. She was it for me. I would never love anyone the way I loved her and I wasn't letting her go without a fight.

"I just can't right now," she said breaking away from my grip, a tear rolling down her cheek as she fled from the room.

Now would be a great time to start brainstorming on that grand gesture, I thought as I watched the girl I loved walk away from me yet again.

**Awww wasn't it sweet how her friends stood up for her? What do you think his grand gesture will be and will it work? Next up her first meeting with the Ozera's and her return to school. **


	44. Chapter 44: Grand Gestures

Chapter 44: Grand Gestures

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy

RPOV

"I don't want any arguing Rosemarie. You must return to school today. You've missed too much already." It was strange hearing Baba be stern with me after all these years. He'd been lenient and allowed me to stay home last week in order to come to terms with things and for us to get reacquainted, but now it was time to face the music or so they say.

"I know," I told him twirling my fork around on my still full plate. The dread in the pit of my stomach was killing my appetite. I was still staying at Adrian's and Baba had come to drive me to school this morning. First, to see that I actually went and second because he had an appointment to meet with Principal Kirova. Apparently all of my teacher's had been asked to attend a staffing about me last Friday. How humiliating was that? For obvious reasons they were not told the truth, just that I was having adjustment issues after finding out that I was adopted and meeting my birth father, who now wanted to be a part of my life. What did I expect? My life was all about spinning a web of creative lies, why not add one more to the list?

I was relieved that Dimitri would no longer be attending school, but saddened that Adrian wouldn't be there with me the rest of the year. I had given my friends a disapproving lecture on doing physical violence against Dimitri. Sure a part of me had taken pleasure in his pain, but the other part of me, the compassionate one did not approve of causing bodily injury to their friend's ex-boyfriend.

"Good luck Little Cupcake," Adrian said kissing my cheek as I hurried out of the apartment.

"Do you have your things Kizim?" my father asked as we climbed into his rental car. It felt strange to see him behind the wheel. I didn't ever remember seeing my father drive a car. I nodded as I climbed into the passenger seat dreading the doom that awaited me once we arrived. I was sure to be the gossip of the entire school and on top of that I would have to see Christian and my father. It wasn't that I didn't want to see them and Baba wasn't going to forbid or force me to see them or not see them which made matters worse. The more I avoided them, the worse I felt.

"Just be the strong beautiful girl I know you are and you'll be fine," Baba told me as we pulled into the parking lot.

"Today will be rough, but tomorrow will be better." I took a deep breath before exiting the car. Of course we drew the attention of the entire school as they watched me walk in with my flashy as hell wannabe a mobster father. I averted my eyes not wanting to make eye contact. He put his arm protectively around my shoulders trying to shield me from the prying eyes of the piranhas I went to school with.

"Ah, Mr. Mazur, it's good to meet you," the secretary Mrs. Conta greeted us with a smile.

"Principal Kirova is expecting you," she said welcoming us into her office. My breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of my father peering at me from behind the counter where the teacher's mailboxes were kept. He gave me a reassuring smile that I definitely didn't deserve as I passed him like he was a stranger.

A sob threatened to escape as we were seated in two chairs I was definitely familiar with having been in Kirova's office more often than most of the student body.

"Are you alright?" Baba asked concerned.

I nodded trying to shake off the bad feelings that threatened to drag me down.

"Mr. Mazur, Rosalie, "Kirova greeted us. I remained silent as the two of them conversed. I wasn't paying much attention as I was too focused on what was coming next. I dreaded going out into the shark infested hallways. Lucky for me my friends knew I needed them as I glanced at my phone seeing a text from Lissa. It said:

_**We'll be waiting right outside for you~L**_

I'd filled the rest of my friends in yesterday at Lissa's. They were all shocked to say the least and had felt a little bad about beating up on Dimitri after finding out why he was here. They'd all been really supportive as they listened to me cry as I told them everything I was feeling.

I wanted so badly for things to go back to the way they were before when I'd been oblivious, but I knew that wasn't possible. I didn't want to give up Baba and Adrian, but I couldn't just cut all ties with the family that raised me. Fuck my life!

Oksana Ozera was my mother whether it was by blood or not. Christian was my brother and Tasha for better or worse was my sister. I now understood her resentment towards me and didn't blame her in the least. I had mixed feelings about my father. He was for all intensive purposes the man I'd come to know as my dad and I loved him like a father, but now that I remembered my Baba it was hard to sort out my feelings. I think that was the thing that had me the most confused. I didn't want to make him feel like he wasn't an important part of my life, but I didn't know if I could go on calling him dad with Baba around. Having two fathers who loved you wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it sure wasn't easy. I wondered how those kids on Full House did it and they had three father figures.

Yesterday Adrian had talked to me about our living arrangements. Baba had found a suitable house not far from school and Adrian and Avery were going to move in there with him for the rest of their time here however long that might be so I was losing my place to stay as of the end of the week.

This is what I had been dreading the most. I had to make a choice. Either I would move into Baba's new house where he assured me I'd have my own room even if I chose to live somewhere else. My other choice was to move back into my old house with my parents and Christian and finish out the school year. Either way there would be hurt feelings and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt anyone. They were all being so good about not pressuring me. Perhaps that's what made it so hard. As I passed my dad on the way in this morning I'd had the overwhelming urge to run and give him a hug, but refrained to spare Baba's feelings. I know he wouldn't have shown it outwardly, but I could tell that he didn't like the idea of someone taking his place in my life.

"Okay then, I think we're finished here. Rose your teachers have compiled a list of your make-up work from last week," Kirova said smiling at me as she handed over a huge folder full of work.

That witch was only smiling at me because she knew Baba was filthy rich and she was sucking up for parent donations.

"Do you need anything before I go?" Baba asked as we exited her office.

"No, I'm okay," I told him sighing heavily at the pile of homework in my hands.

"Here take some lunch money and make your old man feel useful," he said handing me a twenty. I resisted the urge to smirk. Twenty bucks could buy me lunch in the cafeteria for eight days. It was funny how clueless he was, but the gesture was nice.

"Try to have a good day," he said kissing the top of my head. I nodded and watched as the students in the hallways did their best to scurry out of his way as he swept past them and out the front doors.

"Wow, was that him?" Lissa asked coming up behind me. She handed me a cookie and a Starbucks coffee.

"Yep, that's my father," I said smiling a little. "And this is my pile of make-up work from all of my lovely teachers," I groaned shoving it into my backpack.

"Don't worry we'll help," Sydney offered as we made our way to our lockers. Christian and the rest of the guys were waiting for us.

"Hey," Christian said awkwardly. Lockers were alphabetically by homeroom so mine was right next to his and Lissa shared with the both of us.

"Hey," I responded shuffling nervously from one foot to the other. I didn't really know what to say. Things between us were so easy growing up and now I felt awkward and I hated it.

"So uh, Mom made you lunch," he said thrusting a paper sac at me breaking the silence.

"Oh, thanks," I said taking the bag.

The warning bell rang snapping us out of whatever trance we all seemed to be in. I shoved my stuff in my locker grabbing my stuff for Alto's class.

"See you at lunch?" I questioned.

"I'll be there," he replied before we parted ways.

"Holy shit that was awkward," Jill hissed as we made our way to class.

"Welcome to the nightmare that is my life," I told her. I was surprised when Alto went out of his way to be nice to me even going so far as offering to help me make up my work. I declined politely in favor of asking Lissa and the girls to help me instead.

I sat in class staring at the empty seat in front of me. I hadn't realized it until just now how much I missed Dimitri. In a short time, he'd become one of the most significant people in my life. I really wanted to take a chance and let him back in, but wasn't it a little strange to date the person your father paid to investigate your life? Not to mention the fact that he was so much older than me. No wonder he was acing all of his classes and taking advanced calculus. He's already gone to college and graduated. He must think I'm a moron, was all I could think remembering all the times I'd asked him to help me with my math homework.

Classes passed in a blur. Physically I was there, but mentally I had checked out. I was on my way to the cafeteria not paying a lick of attention to where I was going when I ran smack into someone. I looked up to apologized and my voice caught in my throat. I had accidentally plowed into my father.

"Sorry," I finally managed to stutter.  
>"It's okay Rosie," he said giving me a sad smile.<p>

"How are you?" he asked. I could hear the underlying concern in his voice.

"I'm okay. A little stressed and definitely confused," I responded softly.

"I know you are baby and I'm sorry you have to go through this," he said putting his hand lightly on my shoulder.

"I should probably get to lunch," I mumbled not meeting his eyes which I could feel burning a hole through me.

"Okay, see you around," he said dropping his hand watching me walk away. I took a deep cleansing breath. It hurt me that things between us were so strained right now.

When I arrived everyone was already at the table laughing and joking around like usual. They got quiet when I sat down.

"Don't stop on my account," I told them wishing they would just continue on as normal.

"How are you holding up?" Mason asked.

"I wish everyone would stop asking me that?" I snapped.

"I'm fine. Don't I look fine?" I cried.

"Sweetie, if you were fine you wouldn't be shouting in the middle of the lunch room," Mia said pulling me back into my seat. A blush crept into my cheeks as I realized half the cafeteria had focused their attention on me.

"What the hell are you asshats looking at?" Christian growled coming to my defense as usual.

I smiled at him. "Thanks Crissy," I told him. He shrugged.

"You're my sister no matter what some stupid DNA test says."

I nodded putting my arm around him leaning my head on his shoulder and just like that we fell back into our usual love hate relationship.

"It's okay Rosie. We'll get through this," he said.

I sat up and opened the lunch bag my mother had packed. I laughed at the sandwich bread in the shape of a goldfish cracker. It was peanut butter and raspberry jam just the way I liked it with carrot sticks, two Oreo cookies and a Dr. Pepper.

The next few days were much the same as the first. Baba drove me to school. People stared at me in the hallways, but the chatter had died down some. Adrian and Avery had helped me a lot with my homework so I was nearly all caught up.

Although the pressure at school had eased up the weight of the decision regarding my living situation sat heavily on my shoulders. I'd woken twice last night in sweats after having nightmares about Janine. I would have to give Baba my answer tomorrow and it scared the hell out of me.

"Do you need a ride?" Lissa asked after school let out. I shook my head.

"Adrian's coming for me," I told her. Christian looked pissed as he climbed into the car next to her, but didn't say anything.

"Well we'll be at my house if you need us or want to come over," she offered.

"Thanks, but I have some things to do today. I'll call you I told her just as Adrian pulled up in the parking lot.

"Hey there Little Cupcake, how was school today?" he asked.

"Same crap as everyday. Hey can you do me a favor?" he nodded.

Ten minutes later he let me out of the car.

"Call me when you're ready to come home," he said pulling away from the curb.

I trudged slowly up the walkway to the house. It had only been two weeks since I'd been here, but it felt like an eternity. I took a deep breath before entering the house. It was quiet inside. No one was home. I walked into the living room and past the kitchen. It even smelled the same as usual with mom's honeysuckle air fresheners.

I took the stairs two at a time as I went up to my room. Everything looked the same except for the mirror. It was new. How odd that they would buy a new mirror for my room when I wasn't even here. I shrugged it off plopping down on my bed after hanging my backpack on the chair.

"Oh bed how I've missed you," I moaned at the comfort of the bed I'd slept in since I was six. Sleeping on Adrian's couch was definitely not ideal. Tomorrow though after school I'd go home to a new house with a bed of my very own if that's what I wanted.

I lie back against the pillows bathing in the feeling of comfort and safety this room brought to me as I admired the walls covered with posters of my favorite bands and photos of me and my friends goofing around. I looked at my desk where my laptop sat untouched for the past two weeks. Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I hugged my pillow close to my body. After a while the exhaustion of the past few weeks caught up with me and I could feel my eyelids begin to droop. A little nap never hurt anyone right? I thought as I felt myself drifting off.

OPOV

It was nearly six o'clock when I returned home from running errands. I was off work today and to most that would seem ideal, but to me it was a prison sentence. Staying around the house with nothing to do but think was not good for me right now. I know people would think I was wallowing in self pity, but I couldn't help it. Rose was our daughter regardless of blood or DNA. I had coddled her through nightmares, nursed her when she was ill, celebrated her achievements and cried with her in her sad times. I was there the first time she rode her bike, I put tooth fairy money under her pillow, read her bedtime stories, combed the gum out of her hair, made her school lunches, played Candy Land with her, took her to buy her first bra, watched her in the school play, bandaged her owies and kissed away her tears.

I dared anyone to deny that I was a mother to that child. Blood did not make a family. Love and care could do just as well. I set the groceries in the refrigerator noting how much less the bill had been now that I wasn't cooking for her big appetite. She'd eat more than Christian and Tasha combined most days. Mark was going to be late tonight due to a teacher's union meeting and Christian was eating at Lissa's so it was just me. I thought about flipping on the television and popping in a TV dinner, but I just didn't feel like it. I decided to go upstairs and take a hot bath. It might ease some of the tension I was feeling.

I stopped on the way to the bedroom as I'd done every day since she'd been gone and peered into her room. Each time I would find it the same as it was the day before, empty. Today as I opened the door, I did a double take. I rubbed my eyes in confusion thinking I was seeing things. Her back pack was slung over the chair and there she was fast asleep fully clothed on top of her bedspread. This was a dream. I knew it. I closed the door silently took a deep breath and reopened it figuring my mind was playing tricks on me and that she'd disappear.

My heart was overjoyed as I realized she must really be there. I must have made a noise because she began to stir.

"Mom?" she asked slowly sitting up as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Yes Rosie it's me," I said not wanting to startle her. I wanted so badly to take her in my arms and hug and kiss her and beg her to stay, but I didn't. We'd all agreed when Abe called on Tuesday that it would be her choice and none of us would try to sway her decision. I had to hand it to the man, he was a lot more patient and forgiving than I was.

"Mommy," she said tears slipping down her cheeks. She held out her arms for me and I was more than happy to comply as I sat down on the edge of her bed enveloping her in my arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, you listen to me Rose. You have nothing to be sorry for. We're the ones who are sorry," I mumbled stroking her long beautiful hair as I rocked her back and forth in my arms until she was all cried out.

"Does Abe know you're here?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Adrian does though. He dropped me off."

"I see. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?" I asked rising to my feet hoping she'd at least stay for dinner.

She nodded eagerly following me down the stairs to the kitchen.

"You know I can't turn down food," she joked trying to lighten the mood.

"I just went shopping. How about pasta?" I asked beginning to assemble the ingredients. She nodded grabbing the pot to boil water. We worked side by side as we usually did preparing the meal together. It felt almost normal to have her here, but I didn't want to get my hopes up that she would choose us. In reality she shouldn't. She should be with her real family. I just wanted to be a part of her life anyway she wanted.

We ate and talked about school and what was going on with her friends.

"So have you spoken with Dimitri?" I asked figuring he was a safer topic of conversation than her living arrangements.

"Once," she said between bites.

"Are you thinking about seeing him again?" I pried. Usually she would open up to me about this type of thing.

"I don't know. I'm afraid," she admitted.

"Do you love him?" I asked knowing she did. I could see it every time she spoke of him. I could tell he loved her as well. He'd even gone out of his way coming to speak with us apologizing for his investigations and lies. He felt just terrible about it and I could tell how much he missed Rose. Mark had finally warmed up to the idea of the two of them dating after his apology.

"I do love him. I just don't know if I trust him."

"I'm not saying what he did was right, but looking at it from his perspective, he was only doing the job he was hired to do. When he came here, he was searching for a random girl and when he fell in love with you he didn't know who you were. It was a stroke of dumb luck that you two were one and the same."

"I know," she sighed lying her head on the table.

"It's okay if you don't want to be with him and it's okay if you do," I said rubbing her back reassuringly.

"Just follow your heart."

"How can I when it's broken?" she sniffed

"Come here," I said pulling her into a hug.

"No matter what you decide, everything is going to be just fine." I hoped she got my double meaning. Even if she chose to live with her real family we would always love her and be there should she ever need us.

RPOV

Seeing my mother and knowing I had her support helped me sort things out in my head and I'd finally come to a decision. It was still going to be hard, but I think I figured out what I wanted to do.

"Baba," I told him the next morning at breakfast.

"Yes," he said taking a sip of his coffee.

"I've made my decision."

"Oh," he said as he Adrian and Avery looked at me expectantly.

"I want to move into the new house with you." A smile broke out across his face.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he said.

"There's just one thing," I added.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Well, I want to live with you guys most of the time, but maybe some nights I could spent time with my.. uh with the Ozera's," I said timidly.

"I think that's a splendid idea," he replied much to my surprise. "I know that will make your mother happy."

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as he referred to her as my mother. I knew how much he'd loved my real mother and how hard it was for him to accept that she was gone.

"Rosemarie, I love you dearly and that will never change, but I cannot provide a mother's love for you nor can I erase the happy times you spent with them. Having them in your life is important for you and for them. There are all types of families and as unconventional as we are, I believe there is room for everyone in your life if you want it that way."

"You're the best Baba a girl could ask for," I said throwing myself into his arms.

"I'm going to remember you said that the next time you're mad at me," he said laughing.

"Are you going to tell them in person?" Adrian asked. I nodded.

"I'm going to go after school today," I said putting on my best brave face.

"Do you want me to come?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, I'll be okay."

School was lame as usual, but the one good thing was that I had track practice after school. It felt good to run out some of my frustrations. I changed into my running shoes and Sydney, Jill and I began our sprint drills.

"Why is the marching band out here?" Jill asked shielding her eyes from the rarely seen sun. I did the same.

"I dunno. Maybe they're having some sort of practice, although I thought they were pretty much done for the year."

We ran a few laps to cool down and as we approached the bleachers a familiar figure caught my eye. He was standing alone at the top of the bleachers. He was holding something in his hand.

"What is he doing here?" Sydney asked as she and Jill joined me.

"I have no idea."

All of the sudden he started to sing.

"_**You're just too good to be true.  
>Can't take my eyes off you.<br>You'd be like Heaven to touch.  
>I wanna hold you so much.<br>At long last love has arrived  
>And I thank God I'm alive.<br>You're just too good to be true.  
>Can't take my eyes off you."<strong>_

My eyes widened in disbelief as I realized he was up there singing to me and the entire marching band was in on it. They began to play the music along with him. This was so not happening. I stood there mouth agape watching him.__

_**"Pardon the way that I stare.**_  
><em><strong>There's nothing else to compare.<strong>_  
><em><strong>The sight of you leaves me weak.<strong>_  
><em><strong>There are no words left to speak,<strong>_  
><em><strong>But if you feel like I feel,<strong>_  
><em><strong>Please let me know that it's real.<strong>_  
><em><strong>You're just too good to be true.<strong>_  
><em><strong>Can't take my eyes off you."<strong>_

"What the hell is he doing?" Sydney asked.

"Not giving up," I said staring at him in awe as he continued to pour his heart out to me in front of the entire school. As he sang he added in some really coordinated dance moves and made his way down the bleachers until he was only standing a few feet away from us.

_**"I love you, baby,  
>And if it's quite alright,<br>I need you, baby,  
>To warm a lonely night.<br>I love you, baby.  
>Trust in me when I say:<br>Oh, pretty baby,  
>Don't bring me down, I pray.<br>Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay  
>And let me love you, baby.<br>Let me love you.**_

_**You're just too good to be true.**_  
><em><strong>Can't take my eyes off you.<strong>_  
><em><strong>You'd be like Heaven to touch.<strong>_  
><em><strong>I wanna hold you so much.<strong>_  
><em><strong>At long last love has arrived<strong>_  
><em><strong>And I thank God I'm alive.<strong>_  
><em><strong>You're just too good to be true.<strong>_  
><em><strong>Can't take my eyes off you.<strong>_

_**I love you, baby,**_  
><em><strong>And if it's quite alright,<strong>_  
><em><strong>I need you, baby,<strong>_  
><em><strong>To warm a lonely night.<strong>_  
><em><strong>I love you, baby.<strong>_  
><em><strong>Trust in me when I say:<strong>_  
><em><strong>Oh, pretty baby,<strong>_  
><em><strong>Don't bring me down, I pray.<strong>_  
><em><strong>Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay and let me love you baby let me love you."<strong>_

"I love you Roza. Do me the honor of allowing me to take you to the prom," he said giving me his most dashing, panty dropping, heart melting smile. I couldn't respond. All I could do was stand there and stare. The man I loved had just embarrassed himself professing his love for me in front of a hundred people. Things like that only happen in movies or so I thought.

"Rose," Sydney called shaking me. "I think he's waiting for a response." She shoved me forward.

My heart thundered in my chest as I walked up the stairs to where he was standing. He stood there microphone in hand his brown eyes pleading with me to accept his invitation.

"I can't," I told him softly watching as his face fell in utter disappointment.

"I understand," he said sadly letting out a sign of defeat.

"No, I don't think you do," I told him putting my hand on his cheek.

"I can't accept your invitation to go to prom with you because you don't go here anymore which means I have to ask you," I said biting my lip.

"I see, then let me rephrase my question," he said.

"Will you ask me to the prom?" I knew I was going to say yes, but it wasn't in my nature to make things easy.

"I don't know, I mean I'll have to think about it, I …."

He cut me off. "Stop being stubborn and just say yes Roza," he said crashing his lips to mine. I melted in his embrace as he dropped the microphone pulling me as close to him as humanly possible tangling his hands in my hair. We stood there in a lip lock until we finally had to break apart for air.

"Yes," I breathed. "I love you Comrade and I can't wait to go to prom with you," I said.

"She said yes!" he shouted excitedly picking me up twirling me around in circles.

I squealed at him to put me down as I heard all the people on the football field cheering and clapping.

"Geez Comrade, you really know how to make a girl blush," I told him.

"I meant what I said Roza. You're the only girl in the world for me and I'm not letting you go," he said placing his hands on either side of my face looking me straight in the eye.

"I'm glad you didn't give up on us."

"So am I," he responded bringing his lips down to meet mine. I knew we still had a long way to go in making things right, but this was certainly a step in the right direction.

**Aww wasn't that romantic. I could have sworn I saw that once in a movie=) Wink Wink! Do you know which one? There's a link on my profile in case you don't know the answer. Next up is the Prom=) How happy are you that they're back together. Who thinks she made the right choice in living with Abe?**


	45. Chapter 45: Living Situations

**Chapter 45: Living Situations**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Beware this is an emotional chapter**

DPOV

"I'm not too sure about this," I told Adrian as he and I stood in the box at the top of the bleachers fumbling around with the sound system.

"Trust me, girls love this sort of romantic embarrassment. It shows how far you're willing to go to win her back."

So there I stood at the top of the bleachers, microphone in hand ready to make an ass out of myself in the name of love. I took a deep breath as I felt her eyes on me as I began to pour my heart and soul out to her as I sang.

As I got closer I could see that she wasn't the only one who was staring at me mouth agape. I began to sweat as I pulled out the dance moves Adrian had been teaching me. It felt very awkward having dance tutorials from my ex-girlfriend's brother. I sure hoped he was right about this.

When I finished I stood eagerly awaiting for her response. My heart constricted as she stood rooted to the ground, unmoving until Sydney gave her a shove.

As she stood before me I realized that this was the moment that would make or break the rest of my life. If she rejected me, I would be right back where I started.

Joy and relief flooded through me as she accepted my apology and agreed to take me to her prom. As I held her in my arms, Adrian winked at me from the top of the bleachers. I really owed him one. Without his crazy scheming I'd still be sitting and sulking in my hotel room.

She pulled away from me all too soon wiping a few stray tears from her eyes.

"Where on Earth did you learn to dance like that?" she asked cocking her head to one side.

"Believe me, you don't want to know," I said grimly. She cracked a small smile.

"Thanks for embarrassing yourself like that Comrade."

"You are worth all of that and so much more my love," I told her as her friends approached. I had the distinct urge to cover my manhood as I saw Mia and Lissa rush over from the parking lot to join the rest of us.

"Wow I can't believe we missed that," Lissa whined.

"How did you even know?" Rose asked.

"Some kid taped it and sent a live stream to Facebook," Mia said with a smirk. Oh geez that's all I needed was for my sister Viktoria to get a hold of that and hold it over my head for the rest of our lives.

"Does this mean you're not going to hit me again?" I asked.

"About that," Lissa said wincing as she took sight of my still purplish mark around my eye.

"We're sorry. We just wanted to stick up for Rose," she said apologetically.

"It was very noble of you," I said.

"Spitting on you wasn't," Sydney admitted wrinkling her nose. "It was childish and I'm sorry, but not for the slap," she added giving me a pointed look.

"Dually noted," I said draping my arms around Rose's possessively pulling her tightly against me as we stood chatting it up with her friends. Now that I had her back I wasn't ever letting go of her again.

"So looks like we've all got our dates for prom," Lissa squealed.

"Looks that way," Rose said with a grin.

"We have to go shopping for dresses and shoes and make hair, make-up and nail appointments. I think we need to do the whole day at a spa," she started rattling things off faster than I could keep up.

"The guys can take care of the flowers and the limousine. We can handle the rest, oh and don't forget the tuxedos," she kept talking and talking, but I noticed Rose wasn't quite paying attention. She had a far off look in her eyes.

"Roza, are you alright?" I leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Huh? Yea, I'm fine," she said sounding entirely distracted.

"Are you sure?" I hoped she wasn't having second thoughts about allowing me back into her life.

She nodded. "I just have something I have to do in a little bit and I'm not really looking forward to it."

"I see, do you want me to come with you?" I asked. By now we'd caught the attention of all of her friends, the guys included who had joined us just minutes ago.

She gulped. "No, I need to do this alone," she said making eye contact with Christian. His eyes widened and his face fell before his expression turned to one of anger.

"Don't worry, I can relay the message for you Rosemarie," he snapped breaking physical contact with Lissa before storming off.

"Chrissy wait!" she cried pulling out of my arms taking off full speed after him. She caught up quickly and they stopped to argue. We were too far away to hear anything.

"What is that all about?" Andree asked.

"I have a feeling Rose has made a decision about her living arrangements," Lissa said shaking her head sadly.

CPOV

I looked at my sister in disbelief. The guilt in her eyes was unmistakable. She had chosen them over us. I couldn't believe the nerve of her. We had taken her in, put a roof over her head, put food on the table and provided all the love and support we could possibly give her, yet she still chose them. They were practically strangers. Mom was going to have a breakdown and Dad would be angry. I couldn't help but feel betrayed. I had to get out of here or I was going to explode. I broke away from Lissa and the rest storming off towards my car. As I figured she caught up quickly. Damn her and her stupid athleticism.

"Crissy wait!" she cried putting her hand on my shoulder forcing me to jerk around and face her.

"Why? Why should I wait? You obviously don't care about us at all. We're your family too Rose! You're my sister! How can you just up and abandon us like this? They gave up everything for you! Tasha is right, you're nothing but an ungrateful little bitch!" I fired at her. "You're only choosing them because they've got money. Of course we can't compete with the huge mansion daddy dearest just bought on the good side of town. I thought you were better than that Rose!" I immediately regretted my words at the look of hurt and betrayal on her face.

"You really think that about me?" she asked her voice shaking. "You think that this is easy for me? Nothing about this has been easy for me! I've been lied to my whole life, ripped away from one family and now caught in the middle of two. Every choice I make someone gets hurt. Can't you see this is tearing me apart?" she cried falling to her knees in the grass.

"Chrissy, I need you. You're the one person in my life who I trust with everything in me. You've been there for me since the day in the van when you shared your ice cream and toys with me. You've never let me down once. You're my brother and I love you. No matter what happens someone gets hurt and no matter what happens, I get hurt," she sobbed grasping at me.

I sunk to my knees feeling like the worst brother out there as I embraced her tightly. She clung to me sobbing into my sweatshirt. I had thought a lot about how this was affecting my parents and Tasha and myself, but it had never once occurred to me that having to choose between two families was eating her alive. I had no idea what I would do in a similar situation. Who was I to judge her?

"I'm doing my best Crissy. You have to believe me. I don't want to hurt anyone. I am so grateful to Mom and Dad and I love you all so much, but I love my Baba and Abi too."

"I'm sorry Rosie. I'm so sorry," I told her. "I know it's hard. I can't even begin to imagine what it's been like for you," I said stroking her hair.

"Let me drive you home so you can talk to them," I asked looking at her for reassurance.

"I'll be on your side no matter what," I told her squeezing her hand tightly. She nodded standing up with me.

"Mom," I called as we entered the house. I knew she and Dad would both be home. It was Friday night and we usually had family dinner. It was nearly six now so I figured Mom would be in the kitchen.

"What is it Christian? I've got a meatloaf in the oven," her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Rose.

She smiled warmly. "Rose, it's good to see you," she said.

"I've got more than enough for everyone if you want to stay for dinner," she offered.

"Sure, that sounds good," Rose agreed quickly to my surprise. I thought for sure she'd turn us down.

"Can I mash the potatoes?" she asked following Mom into the kitchen like normal leaving me dumbfounded in the living room. I watched in awe as they went about preparing dinner like usual.

"What are you looking at son?" Dad asked descending the stairs. I was unable to speak so I pointed to the kitchen where Rose was chopping cucumbers for the salad and Mom was grating cheese. They were talking and laughing like nothing had ever transpired.

A smile broke out across my dad's face. "Your mother told me that she and Rose had a long talk the other day," he said. How come I didn't know about this? I wondered.

"Come on, let's go make ourselves useful and set the table," he said walking into the kitchen. I followed dutifully.

"Good evening ladies," my father said kissing mom on the cheek first and hesitated a little, but then did the same to Rose who smiled.

"Hi Daddy," she said softly and that was that. No other words were exchanged as they put the food on the table and we began to eat. We conversed about the usual school stuff, dad talked a little about baseball and Mom and Rose chatted about the prom.

"So you and Dimitri are back together?" Mom asked. Rose nodded smiling shyly.

"After a stunt like the one he pulled today, I'd have to say he deserves a second chance," Dad piped in with a smirk. Rose's eyes widened.

"You didn't?" she cringed.

"Oh yes, the entire faculty heard the little show he put on."

"Ugh, Dad, that is so embarrassing," she groaned putting her head in her hands.

"Ah what a man won't do for love," he crooned loving the fact that she was turning beet red.

"What did he do?" Mom asked eager to be let in on it. I grinned and pulled out my phone. Why not add insult to injury?

"Crissy no!" Rose shrieked as I played the video for Mom.

"Now that's romance," she said with a laugh.

After the dishes were cleared Rose began to fidget nervously.

"Uh I have something I wanted to talk to you guys about," she said breaking the silence. Uh oh here it comes, I thought bracing myself.

"Yes sweetheart," Mom said as she and Dad retook their places at the table.

"I've made a decision about living arrangements," she blurted out quickly.

"Go on," Dad encouraged squeezing her shoulder supportively.

"This place will always be my home. It is the first place I remember feeling truly safe and loved. I have so many wonderful memories and I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me over the years. I know you didn't have to and that you could have dumped me off at the nearest orphanage and I'm so lucky to have had such a wonderful life," she started her voice breaking.

"As much as I want things to be the way they were, that isn't going to happen. Baba and Adrian being back in my life makes me so happy. I want to take some time to get to know them and spend some quality time with them."

She took a deep breath before continuing. From the looks on their faces I think my parents both knew where this was going.

"I've decided that I am going to move into the new house with Baba and Adrian," she said stopping to gage their reactions. My mother inhaled sharply, but nodded.

"We know," she said quietly.

"What? How?" she gasped.

"Rosie, we love you, but your family has been missing you for twelve years. It's only natural that you'd need some time to reacquaint.

"Are you angry?" she asked tearing up a little.

"No sweetie, we aren't angry. We love you and we want you to be happy," Mom said clasping Rose's hand in hers.

"If it wouldn't be too much to ask, I thought maybe that sometimes I could still stay here you know maybe on a weekend or for dinner and stuff," she said softly.

"Of course you can baby. This is your home. You will always have a place here with us. Anytime you want to come to visit or to sleep in your old bed you are always welcome," Mom told her.

"You'll always be my mother, no matter what," Rose cried embracing her tightly.

"You'll always be a father to me too Daddy," she said turning to hug dad next.

"You'll always be our daughter too Rose. Nothing will ever change that."

"Get over here Sparky this is a group hug," Rose teased beckoning me to join them.

"What the hell," I said joining in. I guess for now this was as normal as things were going to get.

**So next chapter is getting ready for the prom. Tasha will be home from school. Will there be drama? How will Rose like living in the new house? If you think the Ozera's took the news too well, they may have been briefed by Abe beforehand to make it easier on Rose=) Glad you're all big fans of Ten Things I Hate About You! That was my favorite movie when I was in high school. Unfortunately my only copy is on VHS. Writing this has prompted me to want to go out and get the DVD so I can watch it again=) Review if you want the Russian to take you to Prom…LOL or if you're like me and too old for Prom.. how about a dream date instead.**


	46. Chapter 46: Bonding Time

**Chapter 46: Bonding Time**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Sorry for the wait, but I made it five thousand words just for you! **

RPOV

"Wow," was all I could say as I walked through the door of my new home at least for the time being. I had always wondered what it would be like to live on Lissa's side of town and now I was experiencing it first-hand. The house was enormous. There were eight bedrooms, four of which had private baths. It was set up almost like Lissa's house with each master suite having a sitting room attached instead of a bedroom like the Dragomir's had set it up.

I walked through the huge foyer marveling at the marble floors, huge crystal chandelier and deep mahogany that furnished the living room. There was a huge fireplace above which a fifty inch flat screen television was hung and the room boasted two large bay windows. Two of the walls were painted a dark charcoal gray and the other two a shade that was almost white. All of the floors except for the kitchen and baths were bamboo.

The kitchen was to the left and had exquisite granite counter tops, not one but two ovens, a six burner gas stove surface and a huge island with stools. There was track lighting and the floors were ceramic in a beautiful white with small gray swirls. The walls were a beige and yellow color sponged to make it look as if it were a brick wall that reminded me of something one would see in Europe or so I'd seen on television. French doors led out to a huge deck complete with patio furniture and a large built in swimming pool. It was heated and surrounded by glass to make a sun room that allowed for use in the winter months as well. One could open the roof in the summer sort of like a green house.

"My study will be through those doors," Baba said pointing past the kitchen and down the hallway.

"Would you like to see your room?" he asked. I nodded following him up the stairs as Adrian and Avery trailed wordlessly behind me. Obviously they were used to living in such luxury.

"My quarters are to the right and the three of you kids are to the left."

"This will be your room," he said stopping at the first door. I gasped in utter amazement at the beautiful sight before my eyes. It was huge. There was a king sized bed that would dwarf any normal sized room. There was a wardrobe, a desk and a vanity. To the left there was a huge walk in closet that even Lissa would have trouble filling.

"I thought you'd want to pick out your own bedding and decorations," he said acknowledging that the room was pretty bare and lacking the essentials like curtains and lighting. Off to the side was the door to my own private bath which I discovered had a Jacuzzi tub.

"This is the sitting room or whatever you want to use it as," he said pushing the door open into the next room. It was amazing. There was a fireplace, a flat screen television, a very inviting chaise lounge, a couch and two recliners.

"Baba this is too much," I choked not knowing how to thank him. I knew he had endless amounts of money, but he already had a huge mansion in Turkey and several other vacation homes. I had expected that he would have just rented an average ranch house while he was here.

"Well I wanted you to be comfortable and if we're going to be spending an unknown amount of time here, I wanted this to be a home for us," he said smiling brightly.

I sniffled a little. He really had meant it when he said we could stay here as long as I wanted. I didn't know what I wanted, but this made me feel a whole lot better about all the changes going on in my life. At least with a permanent residence here I wouldn't have to worry about just picking up and leaving one day.

"Rosemarie, I want you to feel like this is your home and that you can come and go as you please. I am not naïve enough to think that you and Belikov have an innocent relationship, however I do ask that you use discression while under my roof, the same as you would with the Ozera's," he said looking slightly uncomfortable as he pulled at the collar of his shirt.

Oh my God, did my father just have the sex talk with me? I felt like I would die of embarrassment.

"Feel free to have your friends over and do what you would normally do," he said.

"Now, I feel that you're going to need a few things in order to be comfortable tonight. I say we head up to the mall," he suggested.

"You can call up some friends if you want."

I nodded texting Lissa and the girls. I didn't think it would be appropriate to invite Dimitri to shop for my bedding and I felt that Christian wouldn't take it well so I told them it was only us girls going.

"Are you coming Abi?" I asked.

He smiled. "No, I think Avery and I will stay here and unpack our things," he said with a wink.

"Right," I said rolling my eyes. That was just his way of saying they needed to go christen their suite. I knew that with me living with them they hadn't really had a lot of alone time and I felt bad.

"Good luck with that," I said as Baba and I prepared to go pick up my friends who were eager to meet my mysterious father.

"I will be riding in the town car as I have some business calls to make. You and your friends can ride in the limousine," he said and my eyes bugged out of my head as a huge stretch limo pulled up into the circle drive in front of the house.

"We have a limousine?" I choked. He chuckled and nodded as if everyone had one.

"I'll see you when we get there Kizim," he said kissing my forehead before disappearing into his car.

"Holy shit Rose! This is awesome!" Mia squealed as she was the first stop followed by Lissa.

"Nice ride," Sydney commented as she and Jill hopped in. I felt a little out of my league riding around in such a prestigious vehicle. It made Christian's words pop into my head. I shook off those thoughts though. I was not in this for the money. I loved my family and I wanted to get to know them better. I wasn't like that.

"So what's your new house like?" Lissa asked.

"Remember the Sullivan's old house on Cherry Tree Lane?" I asked. They all nodded.

"That's where I live now," I told them blushing a little.

"No way, get out of here! That place is awesome," Mia gushed. I shrugged.

"What can I say? Abe has always liked to live in style." I didn't want to sound like I was bragging, but I was a little bit excited.

When we arrived the driver let us off right in front of Neiman Marcus. Baba's car pulled up several seconds later.

"Rosemarie, introduce me to your friends," he said. They all stood behind me eying him him with slightly horrified looks on their faces. I guess to an outsider he could look slightly intimidating with his long hair, beard, dark shades, flashy scarves and jewelry.

"Baba this is Lissa Dragomir, Mia Rinaldi, Sydney Sage and Jill Mastrano," I introduced my friends one by one.

"It's a pleasure to meet my daughter's friends. She speaks so highly of all of you," he said shaking each of their hands.

"You are all welcome in our home any time," he added. "Where would you like to begin?" he asked.

"I uh," I was too overwhelmed by the fact that this was the first time in twelve years I'd been on a shopping trip with Baba that I was at a lost for where to start.

"Well, she said she doesn't have bedding so that should be first. Then once she knows the color scheme we can pick out curtains and accessories." Lissa would have babbled on for hours, but thankfully Baba interrupted her.

"That sounds just perfect. Why don't we start there and see where the day takes us," he said holding out his arm so I could take hold of it.

"What color are the walls?" Lissa asked.

"They're a neutral gray color," I responded. We looked around in several stores with all of my friends putting their suggestions in before we finally ended up at Crate and Barrel.

"Ooh, how about this?" Lissa asked holding up a gorgeous light purple comforter with a black velvety looking pattern on it. It almost looked paisley.

"Oh yes, that would go perfect with gray walls," Sydney added. It was one of those complete bed in a bag deals that came with sheets, a dust ruffle, shams and pillow cases.

"Purple it is," Abe said smirking. He had already known I would choose purple as my entire room at home in Istanbul had looked like a grape exploded all over the walls and furniture. I had purple everything.

"It's nice to see that some things stay the same," he said as he purchased the bedding. I beamed at him getting all nostalgic. I wondered what had happened to my room at home.

After finding curtains that matched, towels, rugs and a shower curtain for the bathroom and a pretty lamp for the desk we decided we were starved.

"Where do you want to eat?" he asked as we wandered over to the mall directory. We all looked at each other and grinned.

"Cheesecake Factory," we chimed in unison.

"The Cheesecake Factory it is," Baba agreed following us to what was one of our favorite restaurants.

"You have to try this," I told Baba as I cut him a piece of my Reese's peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake.

"Well if you say so," he said taking the fork I was offering him.

He made a face. "What kind of concoction is that?" he asked causing the rest of us to laugh at his expression. He looked as if he'd just eaten rotten eggs.

"It's peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake," I told him.

"Whatever happened to the good old strawberry or raspberry," he grumbled. "Isn't cheesecake supposed to be yellow?" That sent us all into another fit of giggles. My friends had long since relaxed with his easy going personality. Baba was fun. That is one thing I remembered quite well about him.

"Well now, how about we separate for a bit. I have a few things to take care of. How about we meet back here in say two hours?" he asked checking his watch. We nodded in agreement and as my friends headed off towards the clothing shops Baba pulled me aside.

"This is for you," he said placing a plastic card into my hand. I gaped at it. It was a credit card with my name on it.

"Baba this is…" I was about to object.

"Rosemarie hush. I have twelve years to make up for. I know that the Ozera's took good care of you, but I also know that there are things that a girl your age might want, like a prom dress," he said with a wink.

"Just think about it," he said. "Don't be afraid to use it. It's yours," he said smiling at the shocked expression on my face before walking away.

"Rose, are you coming?" Lissa called. I nodded still staring blankly at the card in my hand.

"Oh my God! Is that what I think it is?" Mia cried snatching the card out of my hand.

"What?" I asked.

"It is, you are so lucky. This is a platinum card," she squealed and Lissa gasped.

"What does that mean?" I asked dumbly.

"That means it has no limit!" she cried jumping up and down.

My eyes widened. "No limit?" I stammered.

"Wow, I've only dreamed of having one of these," Lissa said in awe.

"Guys, she can't just run up a huge bill. It wouldn't be responsible, right Rose?" Sydney said being the ever level-headed one.

"Of course not," I told her. There was no way I was going to use this. I had some gift cards from Christmas and my birthday saved up. I didn't need to overspend. I was already living in a huge house with a pool and such. I didn't need these things to be happy. I had lived a perfectly happy life without them.

We walked around to our usual haunts and I bought a few things I was in need of like jeans and short sleeved tops with my gift cards.

"Hey should we look at prom dresses?" Jill asked eagerly. She was the most excited out of all of us. Mason had written her a cute love poem and hidden clues all over her house just to ask her. I think he felt a little pressure to be romantic after the stunt Dimitri pulled.

"Sure we can look," I told her. I wasn't set on buying anything today. I had always thought that Mom and I would go together to pick out my dress. I didn't know if she'd still be up for it, but I was going to ask.

"Oh wow this is the perfect dress for you Jill," Mia gasped as we hunted the racks at Macys. It was long and shimmery and blue. It had one strap and glitter imbedded into the bodice.

"You're right it's perfect!" she exclaimed.

"Yea, but what's the price?" Sydney asked. Jill's face fell as she looked at the tag.

"How could it still be a hundred dollars on sale?" she sighed heavily placing the dress back on the rack.

"How much are you looking to pay?" I asked.

"I have seventy-five saved up from work," she said sadly.

"Hmm," I told her. "Let's go look as some other dresses," Mia suggested dragging Jill to the other side of the store.

I reached into my wallet and pulled out the fifty dollar bill my Grandma had sent me for my birthday. I walked up to the sales lady.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked.

"I'll never find one as beautiful as that one Jill moaned as we were about to leave the store.

"Maybe it's on a better deal than you thought," I told her. "It couldn't hurt to go up to the cashier and have her check right?"

"I guess not," she agreed. Lissa, Mia and Sydney gave me the what the fuck are you thinking look, but I waved them off.

"Excuse me can you tell me how much this dress is?" Jill asked bringing the dress up to the register.

"Sure sweetie," the older woman behind the counter said scanning the price tag into the computer.

Jill held her breath and crossed her fingers hoping upon hope that the price had changed in the few minutes we'd been gone.

"This dress costs sixty dollars," she said.

"What?" Jill asked her eyes snapping open.

"Sixty dollars," the woman repeated.

"Oh my God!" Jill squealed jumping up and down. "I'll take it!"

"There's no way that dress was sixty dollars," Sydney said raising her eyebrow at me as Mia and Jill stood in line to get us all Starbucks.

"Rose what did you do?" Lissa asked.

"Who me?" I asked trying to look innocent.

"Yes you. You're the only one who didn't follow us to the other side of the store and then the price just suddenly drops forty dollars." They both eyed me skeptically.

"I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about. It was just lucky," I told them.

"Sure it was," Sydney said smiling at me.

Later that night after a long ride home I brought my bags up to my room unpacked my bedding, hung the curtains and the shower curtain and set up the bathroom before flopping down on my bed. It was nearly dinner time and I figured someone should go down and cook.

I was surprised to see that dinner was nearly ready when I entered the kitchen. The oven was on, the table was set and there was a large plate of steaming hot cous cous in the middle of the table. I looked around puzzled. I knew Avery could cook, but Baba and Adrian were useless in the kitchen.

"Rosemarie, it really is you!" A voice startled me from behind.

"Emil?" I asked recognizing the woman who had cooked for us at my father's house since I was a child.

"You remember?" she asked in astonishment. I nodded.

"It's so good to have you home Miss Rosemarie," she said tearing up a little.

"Your Baba has missed you greatly."

"Thank you," I told her. "You can call me Rose. Is there anything I can help with?" I asked.

"Oh no, everything is just about ready." She pulled a roast out of the oven and boy did it smell delicious.

After dinner I was exhausted, but perked up a little when my phone buzzed with a text from Dimitri. He wanted to know if he could come over since it was Saturday night. I was definitely tired, but I so did not want to waste anymore time not being with him so I told him it was fine.

"Baba," I called out knocking on the door to the study where he had retired after dinner.

"Come in," he said through the half way open door.

"I just wanted to say thank you for today. It was really nice to spend time with you and for you to meet my friends," I told him.

"As crazy as it sounds I actually enjoyed every minute of taking five teenage girls to the mall," he said stroking his beard.

"Uh, Dimitri is on his way over if that's okay. I thought maybe we could use the living room to watch some movies," I asked timidly.

"Of course, that sounds fine," he said. "It's your home Kizim. You don't have to ask."

I nodded hugging him before going into the kitchen to pop some popcorn.

When Dimitri arrived he was carrying a single red Rose which he handed to me as I opened the door.

"Thanks," I said my heart fluttering as he bent down to kiss me sweetly on the lips.

"Would you like a tour?" I asked. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he took in the opulence of the house and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"What?" I asked. "You don't like it?"

"No, it's great," he said. "It's just you know wow," he breathed.

"I know it's definitely going to take some getting used to," I told him as we settled down on the oh so cozy sectional in the living room.

"What do you want to watch?" I asked pulling up the on demand selection.

"Whatever pleases you," he said pulling me closer against him. I ended up putting on The Dark Night and didn't even make it halfway through before I was asleep in his arms.

I awoke to Dimitri's sexy voice as the credits were rolling.

"Wake up Roza," he said softly caressing my cheek.

"Mmm, so comfortable," I groaned burrowing deeper into the crook of his neck.

"It's late and you should go up to bed," he told me gently pulling away forcing me to open my eyes.

"No," I whined. "Don't go."

"I have to Roza. It's your first night in your new house and I don't want your father to kill me," he chuckled.

"Are you absolutely sure you have to go," I asked placing my lips at the base of his neck sucking gently.

"Ugh," he moaned as I pressed myself closer to him.

"You're not playing fair Roza," he said before assaulting me with his lips. I opened my mouth allowing him entrance and we lay pressed up against one another, our kisses becoming more eager. His hands began to wander from my face down my shoulders until they settled on my hips.

"You have no idea what you do to me Roza," he uttered as he ground himself against me allowing me to feel his arousal straining against his jeans.

"I think I do," I panted as he began to kiss my earlobe causing me to shudder with pleasure.

"We should really stop," he breathed pulling away. As much as I wanted to argue, I knew he was right. I loved him and I wanted to make things work, but I was not ready to be intimate with him again just yet. Besides that, Abe had told me to be discrete and having sex on the couch in the middle of the living room was anything but.

"Goodnight Roza," he said as he stood on the porch.

"Goodnight," I whispered allowing him one last kiss before he left. Damn I couldn't wait for the prom. Dancing in his arms all night was going to be heaven on Earth.

TPOV

"Hello is anyone home?" I called out huffing as I dragged my huge suitcase through the door. Finals were over and I'd decided to come home early for the Summer. Everything at home was really messed up and I knew I wasn't helping matters by being insufferable.

"Mom, Dad, Crissy?" I called.

"They're not here," Rose's voice startled me from the top of the stairs. I wanted to ask then why are you, but bit my tongue instead.

"Oh," I said disappointed.

"Do you need help?" she asked.

"Well, I uh," I stuttered. Why the hell was she being nice to me?

"That would be nice," I told her trying to swallow the jealousy that rippled through me every time I looked at her.

She took the stairs two at a time and ran to the car to fetch my other bags.

"Where do you want them?" she asked.

"In my room I suppose." She nodded and dragged my two large duffels up the stairs like a pro. I followed her wordlessly. Had she decided to live here? I thought for sure Mom had told me that she'd moved in with her other family the ungrateful little bitch.

"So how were finals?" she asked as we stood awkwardly in my room.

"They went alright, I think." She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but closed it again without uttering a word.

I sighed. "If you're going to yell at me for trashing you room, then just get on with it," I said bracing myself.

She gave me a funny look. "You trashed my room?"

Oh shit! They didn't tell her? I thought for sure Christian would. He was always ratting me out these days.

I shrugged. I might as well own up to it now. "I was pissed so I broke your stuff," I told her honestly.

She didn't seem upset by my admission or surprised.

"I'm sorry," she said simply.

"What?" I asked. Why was she apologizing. I was the one who broke her stuff.

"For wrecking your life," she said. Wait now I was really confused. Was she really apologizing for mom and dad taking her in?

"I know you hate me and I get it. I would hate me too," she said looking at the floor.

"I don't hate you Rose. I meant what I said before. I'm just jealous."

"I know. I just want you to know that even if we haven't always gotten along, I still think of you as my big sister," she said. Ah hell why was she doing this? She was making me feel bad for being such a bitch to her all these years.

"Do you think maybe we could try to start over and be friends?"

"I guess I could try that," I told her not really that eager to try it, but for the sake or my parents and brother I supposed I should try.

"I didn't mean to be a burden," she said. "I didn't know any better."

Now I'd had it. "Don't you think I know that?" I cried. "That's what makes this all so frustrating. I want to hate you, but I know it's not your fault so I can't. I wanted a sister so bad and then when you came along and they loved you more, I resented you," I confessed.

"They don't love me more, Tasha," she said calmly.

"Sure seems like it," I snorted. "You always had it perfect."

Now it was her turn to scoff at my words. "You think I had it perfect? How would you like to find out that twelve years of your life were make believe?" she shouted.

"Pefect my ass! You think having a crazy lunatic mother who kidnapped me, dumped me at a mall and then killed herself is perfect? Do you think living my life in fear that I'll go crazy like she did because it runs in the family is perfect? Do you think not seeing my father and brother for twelve years makes me happy?" she exploded fuming.

"No, I didn't think," I tried to reason with her. I had no idea that her mother killed herself. I thought it had been an accident.

"Of course you didn't think. You never think about anyone but yourself. I have never once asked for anything from this family and yet you continuously treated me like a leper. You know when I was little I wanted to be just like you. I wanted to play make-up with you, I wanted you to take me on rides in the car, I wanted to be smart like you and do well as you did in school, but you pushed me away at every turn. I wanted you to be my sister!" she shouted.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea," I told her dumbfounded. I'd always thought we had mutual feelings of dislike, but now I see that it was just me being petty.

"Are you really?" she asked in a softer tone. I nodded.

"I really am Rose. I never imagined what it was like to be in your shoes."

"Still want to trade lives?" she bit out letting out a breath of air.

"No," I replied softly.

"I thought not," she muttered ending our blow out.

"I thought you were living with them," I mused as we went downstairs to get something to drink after our screaming match.

"I am most of the time, but whether you like it or not you guys are still my family," she said tossing me a diet coke.

"Did you shake the can?" I asked eying her closely.

"What am I a child?" she retorted rolling her eyes.

I shrugged popping open the can just to have it spray all over me while she cracked up.

"You fall for it every time," she guffawed.

"Not funny," I muttered. I couldn't help but laugh a little though. She was right, I did fall for it every time.

"What's going on in here?" Mom asked as she came in the door groceries in hand.

Rose quieted down waiting for me to say something rude.

"Just horsing around," I said smirking at Rose who looked surprised.

She looked between us confused, but didn't question us further.

"Mom, I wanted to ask you something," Rose said helping her unload the bags and put things away.

"Sure sweetie, what is it?"

"Well, I was thinking that if you're not working tomorrow that maybe we can go shopping for my prom dress."

Mom stopped what she was doing and I could see tears threaten to spill from her eyes as her lips curved into a smile.

"I would love that," she said trying to act like it was no big deal. I remembered shopping for my prom dress with Mom when I was eighteen. We'd spent the whole day together having breakfast out, getting our nails done and then shopping till we dropped. It was one of the best days I'd ever spent.

"Hey Tasha," Rose called as I was getting ready to head upstairs to my room.

"What?" I asked.

"You want to come with us tomorrow?" she asked.

"Really?" Mom and I both said at the same time. I think Mom was even more surprised than I was.

"Yea, you know a mother daughter outing," she said smiling.

"That would be nice," I told her wondering what I had just agreed to.

**All that bonding, how sweet! Can't wait for the Prom can you? Review and Dimitri will save you a dance=)**


	47. Chapter 47: Prom Night

**Chapter 47: Prom Night**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

**Sorry this took so long, but today is my birthday and I had a lot of fun celebrating with family and friends this past weekend=)**

**Don't forget to check out my profile for links to the prom dresses!**

RPOV

"Baba are you sure?" I asked for the hundredth time. He'd insisted on us girl's having a spa day before the prom. It was only nine in the morning and there was an entire team in our living room ready and willing to work on us to our heart's content.

"Hush little girl and let your Baba spoil you for a day," he said ruffling my hair a little. I stood there in shock gaping at him as he went into his study.

"Wow, can you believe this?" Jill gasped as she was the last of my friends to arrive and get an eye full of all the fun my father had set up for us.

"Yea, I know right? I think Baba has been taking lessons from Lissa," I joked.

"Hey, I take offense to that comment," Lissa cried from across the room where she has her feet soaking in a tub of bubbly water, cucumbers on her eyes while getting her finger nails painted.

"Who's first for massage?" the masseuse asked. She had her table set up in the utility room off the kitchen for privacy and ambiance.

"Definitely me!" Mia called following her into the other room.

"What do you guys want to do first?" I asked Sydney and Jill.

"Hmm, I think pedicure first and then maybe a head massage," Sydney said taking a seat in another of the pedicure chairs.

"I think I'm going to let them start on my hair," Jill said. It was long and if she wanted an updo it would be wise to start early.

"And for you Miss Rosemarie?"a young man asked me. I recognized him as Ambrose, the man who had done our nails before Fall Ball.

"Hey Ambrose," I greeted him.

"Can I start with a facial?"

"Anything for you," he said smiling.

After a full round of massage treatment, mani-pedis, hair and make-up we were all starving.

"Wow you look amazing Little Cupcake," Adrian commented looking up from his paper as we piled into the kitchen for some of Emil's famous sandwiches.

"Thanks Abi," I said smiling.

"Hey did you take Avery to the prom?" I asked stupidly wondering if they had stuff like that in the schools in Istanbul. It sucked at how little I actually knew about where I came from.

"Well it wasn't called prom, but yes, I took her to numerous dances and balls over the years," he said smiling.

"Hah! You call me dragging your ass kicking and screaming to dances taking me?" Avery scoffed smacking my brother on the back of his head.

"Hey, I showed up with flowers didn't I?" he argued.

"Sure after I practically begged you," she snorted.

"Yea you were kind of desperate," he said playfully.

"Take it back!" she warned advancing toward him.

"Nope," he said crossing his arms across his chest.

"Take it back," she repeated. He stood firm without cracking.

"You asked for it!" she cried rushing up the stairs leaving us all staring after her.

"What is she doing?" Wasn't the point of making someone pay to stay and beat on them not run away?

In less than a minute she was back with a huge shit eating grin on her face.

"Oh Adrian," she called out in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Yes dear?" he called.

"Remember our trip to the zoo?" she asked.

His eyes widened as he spit his coffee all over the table.

"You wouldn't dare!" he challenged her.

"Oh wouldn't I?" she shot back.

"You're bluffing," he said trying to remain calm.

"Last chance to take it back," she said.

"Not on your life," he said.

"Fine then," she said pulling something out of her pocket.

"So Rose, every wonder why your brother here was afraid of Monkeys?" she asked.

I scrunched up my face remembering him having massive freak outs when he'd see anything involving monkeys.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

She handed over a photograph.

"Oh my God Abi!" I cried.

"I can't believe you sold me out!" he cried glaring at his wife. She shrugged.

"You called me desperate."

"What's in the picture Rose?" Lissa asked.

I handed over the picture of my brother in his boxers trying to wrestle his pants away from a chimp.

Everyone busted into a fit of giggles as we passed it around the table.

"Wow, I'm surprised you were able to sit through the Lion King with that creepy monkey singing all the time," I guffawed.

"Haha very funny. I'm glad I amuse you all so much," he said bitterly.

"Men can be so touchy sometimes," Avery said rolling her eyes.

"I cannot believe you actually bought the zebra dress," I gasped as Mia put on her dress.

"Oh come on admit it. This dress is fabulous," she said twirling around in a circle.

"Do you think the slit is high enough?" Sydney retorted dryly.

"You're just jealous," Mia stated reapplying her lip gloss in front of my full length mirror.

Everyone was already dressed and I figured I should do the same so I unzipped the garment bag that contained my dress. I was a little overly excited about wearing it. I'd never owned something so nice before. I took a minute to run my hands over the silky fabric.

"Is that what I think it is?" Lissa asked her jaw dropping as Jill zipped me into my dress.

"What do you think it is?" I asked hoping she wouldn't have noticed.

"Uh it's a Jessica McClintock ," she exclaimed. I nodded listening to her squeal.

"She's one of my favorite designers," she beamed.

"Relax Liss, it wasn't one of the really expensive ones," I told her hoping it would calm her down.

I had gone shopping with Mom and Tasha last week and we'd seen a lot of dresses. Mom suggested I try this one on only for fun, but when it fit like a glove I decided to let loose a little and use Abe's credit card. He was right. I only had one Senior prom and I'd had a really tough couple of months. I deserved to have a nice dress. Tasha's eyes nearly bugged out of her head when the lady behind the counter announced that my total was two hundred and thirty dollars after tax. I knew Mom was a little disappointed that I didn't let her help me buy it, but she didn't say anything.

She had however put her foot down saying she was buying my shoes and handbag. I allowed her to do so feeling guilty that she was spending their money on me. Although I didn't want to overspend or jack up Abe's credit card, I felt better about spending his money. He has millions just lying around in bank accounts untouched whereas my parents had always struggled. Most of which was my fault.

"Well it's still a fabulous dress," Sydney commented.

"Red truly is your color," Mia added.

"You think Dimitri will like it?" I asked suddenly getting a rush of butterflies in my stomach. I never thought I'd actually be going to prom, let alone with my twenty-four year old Russian spy boyfriend.

"He's going to need mouth to mouth all night long," Mia said whistling.

I glanced at my overall reflection in the mirror one last time as I heard the bell ring downstairs signaling that they guys were here with whatever car Lissa had booked.

I'd decided to go with a half up and half down look for my hair. It was pinned back elegantly to one side in a jeweled clip while massive amounts of thick curls tumbled down past my shoulders.

This is it, I thought as I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my bag and wrap following my friends down the stairs.

DPOV

"Dude stop fidgeting, you're making me nervous," Christian whined as I shuffled nervously from one foot to the other pulling at the bow tie on my neck. I was a cross between being nervous that Rose had only agreed to go to prom with me out of pity and excited that I would finally have her in my arms where she belonged.

"Hell I'd be nervous about taking Hathaway to prom, her two dads and two brothers could definitely wail on you," Eddie snorted.

"What did you say?" Abe growled from behind us causing Eddie, Christian, Andree and Mason to jump out of their skin. I stifled a laugh as I knew he was all bark and no bite.

"Nothing Sir, just that your daughter is a wonderful girl," Eddie said saluting.

"That's more like it," Abe teased as Adrian and Avery joined us.

"Mr. Mazur," I greeted him. "Would you mind if we had a moment alone?"

He nodded motioning for me to step into his office.

"What can I do for you Belikov?" he asked.

"Well I'd like to return this to you sir. It wouldn't be right for me to keep it," I told him handing over the generous check he'd written me after my work was complete.

He raised his eyebrow at me.

"You're refusing my check?" he asked.

I nodded.

"For what reason?"

"I uh," I let out a breath of air rubbing my neck in frustration.

"Did you or did you not spend the last three years working on this case?"

"Well yes, I did," I responded.

"Did you or did you not lead us to the school my daughter attended?"

"Yes I suppose I did."

"Are you or are you not standing in my house with me waiting for my daughter to come down and go to her prom?"

"Yes sir," I said wondering where he was going with this.

"One last question. Would I be here with my daughter if it wasn't for you?"

I didn't answer him.

"You earned that money son and I believe your family needs it. I also know that if you're going to be with my daughter that you'll need a nest egg to provide for her one day. Am I correct in assuming you see a future with her?"

"Of course I see a future with her. I love her," I told him.

"Then cash the check," he responded thrusting it back into my hand.

I was about to argue when he cut me off.

"I will talk to her about it. She knows why you were here and there's no reason for you to take a hit just because you happened to fall in love with her," he said smiling.

I sighed stuffing the check back in my pocket.

"You earned it. Don't sell yourself short. You're a damn good PI. Now we best get out there. We wouldn't want to miss their grand entrance."

We returned to the living room and more people had shown up. Oksana and Mark Ozera, the Dragomirs, Mia's dad, Eddie's mom, Mason's mom, Sydney's dad and both of Jill's parents were all gathered around a table filled with appetizers and champagne compliments of Abe.

"Thank you all for coming. For those of you whom I haven't met, my name is Ibrahim Mazur. Rose is my biological daughter. It's a very long complicated story and I won't bore you with the details, but I would like to thank the Ozera's for taking such good care of my little girl. I owe them so much more than I could ever express with mere words."

Mark and Oksana looked slightly uncomfortable being in the spotlight, but everyone seemed to be in the know about the situation and continued mingling.

"Attention!" Avery's voice brought silence to the room.

"The girls are ready to come down," she announced.

I watched as the girls came down the stairs one by one Jill, Sydney, Mia, Lissa and finally I laid eyes on the most beautiful creature in the universe. My breath hitched in my throat as I took in the glorious sight before my eyes.

There at the top of the stairs stood my Roza, the woman of my dreams dressed in the most exquisite red gown. I'd known she was wearing red because Lissa had only reminded me six times in order for my vest and tie to match up.

"You look amazing," I whispered lending her my arm as she reached the last step. She smiled radiantly at me a slight rouge creeping into her cheeks. Her hair was swept to one side with dark curls cascading over her shoulder. I was happy she'd left some of it down. I was obsessed with it and always tried to have my hands it in whenever I could.

"It's beautiful, thank you," she said accepting the nosegay full of red orchids and calla lilies I'd had specially ordered for her. Most guys would have gone with classic roses, but I knew how much Rose hated when people used her name for stuff like that. Besides roses were ordinary and she was anything but.

"Okay now let's all gather around for pictures," Lila Dragomir called out taking control of the situation. There were at least ten camera's flashing at us at any given time as we lined up for classic couple poses, group shots and a few silly ones. Although they stood on opposite ends of the room both Mark Ozera and Abe Mazur had the same tears in their eyes as they looked at their little girl all grownup.

We took one last shot just the girls and then just the guys before it was time to go.

Abe took Rose aside and hugged her tightly murmuring something to her in Turkish. She responded back with ease. It still surprised me that her Turkish came back so fast. I knew Adrian was working with her on it a little these past few months, but she never ceased to amaze me.

"Let me have one last look at you," Oksana said sniffling a little.

"Geez Mom you act like I've never gone to a dance before," Rose groaned.

"This isn't just any dance Rose. It's the last dance," Lissa scoffed like it was the biggest deal in the world.

"I know I know so they keep telling me," Rose said rolling her eyes.

"Do you have everything Little Cupcake?" Adrian asked as we were the last to leave the house.

"Yep," she said kissing his cheek.

"You know I'll be waiting to kill you if anything happens to her," he threatened.

"Dually noted," I told him knowing he was definitely serious as an overprotective older brother should be. I'd played that role for Viktoria many a time and sometimes for Karolina and Sonya even though I was younger.

"Wooo! We're going to prom baby!" Mia cried as the hummer limo pulled away from the estate.

"Yeah!" everyone shouted. I'll have to admit that I felt slightly out of place with a bunch of eighteen year olds, but Roza was worth every minute of discomfort and so much more. I wanted tonight to be magical for her.

"Do you want to get your picture taken first?" I asked her as we entered the gym. It was decorated with a red carpet and stars all over the wall for people to sign like on Hollywood Boulevard. I guessed the theme must be something to do with Hollywood and movie stars because the favors were sunglasses for the men and feather boas for the girls. Rose picked up a black boa and I helped myself to the sunglasses.

"We should wear these in the photo," she said stepping over to the booth.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's photo booth. You know where they take four different shots and they come out on a strip," Mia explained.

Mia and Eddie went first and we watched them do all sorts of weird poses.

"What do you want to do first?" I asked.

"I have few ideas," she said laughing as she held her fingers up to her eyes making fake glasses and a fish face. I copied her move and the camera flashed. Next we did a regular shot, then a shot of me wearing the feather boa and her wearing the glasses and the last she surprised me by grabbing me by the lapel and laying one on me.

"That was fun," she giggled as we exited the booth to collect our photos.

"You put one in the book and leave a funny message and the other two are for you to keep," the girl behind the table explained. I let Rose leave the message. After she took a few photos with the girls and then dragged me out to the dance floor.

"I love this song," she cried. I again had no idea how to dance to something like this so I let her lead me which was a terrible mistake. My hands gripped her slender waist and she moved her body against me setting me on edge. It felt so good to feel her rubbing herself up against me and it was all I could do not to peel her out of her dress on the dance floor. I knew she needed time before we could be together again and I was fully willing to wait, but right now she was making it oh so hard for me.

We danced a few more fast songs and then the DJ decided to slow it down.

"You know there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here with you in my arms," I breathed against her neck as some sappy love ballad blared over the speakers.

"I love you," she whispered resting her head against my chest.

"I love you too Roza."

We danced together for a while and the girls tore it up for a while by themselves while we snapped pictures of all their crazy dance moves. After rejoining them for a while I lead Rose off the dance floor.

"Would you like something to drink Milaya?"

"Definitely, I'm parched." I laced my fingers through hers and we weaved our way through the mass of dancing couples towards the punch fountain.

"Wait here and I'll bring it back," I told her leaving her at a cocktail table.

"Hurry back," she said kissing me softly.

RPOV

I was floating on air. Dimitri was as handsome as a Russian God could be in his tuxedo and dancing in his arms all night was the best feeling in the world. I sighed in contentment setting down my clutch on the table straightening out the ruffles on the back side of my dress.

"Well well if it isn't little miss orphan Annie," Jesse Zeklos snarled as he and his slut girlfriend Natalie Dashkov approached me. She was wearing the most hideously skin tight, up the butt leopard print dress I'd ever seen. Talk about tacky.

"What do you want Jesse?" I asked thoroughly annoyed. I was so enjoying him leaving me alone these last six months or so.

"Just wanted to see for myself what a loser you are having your father pay your boyfriend to take you to prom," he laughed.

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about," I snapped trying not to let him get under my skin.

"Oh yea just ask him about the check in his pocket with your Daddy's name on it."

"He was working for my dad. Now go away," I hissed looking around to see where Dimitri had gone. He was still standing in line to get punch oblivious to what was going on right now.

"I hear you were such a bad kid your mother dumped you off in a shopping mall and then killer herself," he snorted.

My eyes widened. How had he heard what had happened? As far as I knew only a few people knew the truth.

"Oh don't look so surprised everybody knows. Camilla Voda was in her mother's shop the day you had your little family feud," he laughed.

"Shut up Jesse," I menaced clenching my fists.

"Or what you'll kill me? They say insanity runs in the family," he said slapping his knee while Natalie laughed like a hyena. That was it, the last straw. Jesse Zeklos was a dead man. I pulled back my fist and slammed it into his face as hard as I could.

"Oh my God!" Natalie screeched as blood spurted out of his nose all over the floor just missing my dress. I was too enraged to care though.

"He's right, you're a psycho just like your mother," she cried lunging at me.

"You don't know what you're talking about you whore," I screeched as she yanked on my hair.

I swung my fist at her connecting with her torso causing her to double over in pain.

"You little bitch," Jesse said having recovered from his nose bleed. By now we'd begun to draw a crowd. He grabbed my arm and shoved me hard into the table before slapping me across the face. I was about to sock him in the eye when someone pulled him off of me with force.

"Didn't I warn you the last time I saw you that if you ever even looked at her again, I'd end you," Dimitri growled tossing Jesse to the ground like he was light as a feather. Jesse cowered in fear as Dimitri loomed over him with Christian, Mason, Andree and Eddie backing him up.

"What is going on here?" my father asked coming to see what was going on. He was chaperoning tonight.

"Zeklos assaulted Rose," Christian cried angrily while Lissa stood behind him nodding in agreement.

"Did anyone else see what happened?" he asked glaring at Jesse.

"I did," at least fifteen people chorused.

"Let's go Zeklos. It's about time I had a chat with your parents," he said grabbing Jesse by the ear.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked pulling me into his arms.

I nodded trying to forget Jesse's hurtful words.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked examining my arms and face for bruising.

"I'm okay," I told him. "Just a little embarrassed," I said a traitorous tear creeping down my cheek.

"It's time to get out of here, I think," he said stroking my cheek softly.

DPOV

If I thought I hated Jesse Zeklos before, it was worse after what he pulled tonight. I couldn't believe the audacity of him assaulting a woman in public. I had no idea what fueled his attack, but I was sure from the tears in Rose's eyes that it was nothing pleasant. After making sure Rose was alright and assuring Christian she was physically unharmed, we made plans to meet up with the rest of the gang tomorrow.

"Where do you want to go Roza?" I asked as we stepped into my rental car which I'd had the foresight to park in the lot earlier today anticipating us leaving just the two of us.

"Back to your room?" she suggested.

We rode in silence for the entire ride back and all the way to my room.

"How much did my father pay you to find me?" she asked softly.

I sighed knowing that this topic was sure to surface eventually. I reached into my pocket pulling out the check Abe had written me handing it to her.

She blinked twice as she looked at the check and then handed it back to me wordlessly.

"What are you thinking Milaya?" I asked dying to know what was going on in her head.

"That's a lot of money," she said. "Have you given any thought to what you're going to do with it?"

I let out a breath of air. "I don't know. I feel weird taking money from him," I admitted.

She shrugged. "Why, you did your job, you found me. You deserve it."

"I know, it's just that I don't want you to think that…" She cut me off.

"I don't. If I thought that, I wouldn't be here," she said putting her finger to my lips shushing me.

"I thought maybe I'd put it in the bank so that one day we could have a house," I told her hoping she wouldn't think my comment was too forward.

She leaned her head against my shoulder. "I'd like that," she said snuggling up against me.

"You would?" I asked.

"Sure, why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. I just thought maybe you didn't think that far ahead. I'm older than you and I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you for more of a commitment than you're ready for."

"I wouldn't be with you if I didn't see a future together," she said pressing her lips softly against mine.

I groaned in pleasure as she intensified our kiss allowing myself to lose control a little holding her up against me pressing our bodies as close together as physically possible enjoying the feeling of her chest pressed up against mine.

"Ugh," she moaned sexily allowing me entrance to her mouth. Soon her hands were fumbling with the buttons on my jacket and as I began to unzip her dress. As my fingers closed around the zipper, I realized we were moving rather quickly. I pulled away maybe a little too abruptly.

"Why did you stop?" she asked confused.

"I just don't want you to do something you're not ready for," I explained.

"I am ready," she said rising to her feet. She unzipped the back of her dress and allowed it to fall into a pool at her feet revealing very sexy undergarments.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Are you going to ask me that every time?" she teased pulling on my shirt. She wasn't leaving me much room for argument.

I shook my head in negation grabbing her roughly pulling her flush against my body as I possessed her lips with mine.

"You're my everything Roza," I told her kissing her softly on the lips as we lay next to each other chests heaving still tangled up in each other after spending most of the night making love.

"And you're mine," she said curling her body into mine. As I wrapped my arms protectively around her I sighed in contentment feeling optimistic that things were looking up for us.

Three weeks later I sat in the stands next to Abe and Adrian beaming proudly as my girlfriend and love of my life walked across the stage to get her diploma. The Ozera's sat a few seats away from us cheering loudly for both of their children.

"So what are your plans for college Rose?" Jill asked as we sat eating dessert at the restaurant Abe had rented out for a group graduation party.

"Yea you're the only one who hasn't decided," Lissa chimed in eager to know her friend's decision. I'd known for a little over a week what she planned on doing and I thought it was a pretty good idea. She'd already sat down and discussed her options with Abe and the Ozera's.

"I've thought long and hard and I'm going to miss you guys while you're away at school. That's why I think I need to spend some time getting to know where I came from," she said smiling.

"I'm enrolling at the University of Istanbul in the fall."

**As you may have already guessed this is the last chapter of The Search for Rosemarie Mazur. Sadly there will not be an Epilogue. I would love to thank all of you loyal readers who've been with me since the beginning. I couldn't have written as fast or as well without your continuous support and encouragement. I am considering writing a short no more than ten chapter sequel on Rose's adjustment to returning to her old life. If I do it, I will send out an alert to this story letting you know. I am going to take a much needed break so don't expect anything until after Thanksgiving. For those of you who were reading my other story "The Next Nine Months" I apologize for abandonment. I will post the Epilogue soon. I hope you enjoyed "The Search for Rosemarie Mazur" and please take the time to leave me one last review on the end of the story. **

**Thanks Again! Until Next Time….**

**~MadameRozaBelikova**


	48. ATTENTION: SEQUEL POSTED

**Attention: The Sequel to The Search for Rosemarie Mazur has been posted. It is called **

"**Being Rosemarie Mazur" I hope you will check it out=)**

**Thanks for being awesome as always.**

**~MadameRozaBelikova**


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